My Love
by ZanessaFanGaily
Summary: Sequel to My Bella After finally adopting Evelyn Ravenna, Bella and Edward can finally begin their quiet lives as a family. That is, until they learn about Evelyn's stalker. Evelyn's family's murderer's son is out to get Evelyn for putting his father in jail. And the worst part about it, he lives in the same area.
1. Chapter 1

**|| My Love || Chapter 1 || Edward's POV ||**

**|| Date: August 3, 2011 || Time: 10:01 AM ||**

* * *

I heard my wife scream in pain and I saw Evelyn jump a little. I couldn't leave her by herself here, but Bella needed me. I took Evelyn's hand and sat her on the couch and ran to the bathroom. Upstairs, the third door down the right hallway. I opened the door and saw Bella nearly passed out. I quickly caught her before she fell to the floor and I lifted her up. I pulled her pants up and shook her lightly. After she quickly regained conscious, she cried in pain and I picked her up bridal style and I put her down by the couch. Evelyn got up and gasped.

"Evelyn, dear, you need to do me a big favor. Alright?" She started to breathe heavy, and she looked at me, eyes watering. "In the kitchen, by the sink, my phone is by the plates. Can you please go get it?" I asked, holding her hands. She nodded quickly and ran to the kitchen. She came back at an instant and almost slipped. I caught her quickly and then let her go relax back by the dining room.

"Edward?" I heard Bella mumbling.

I took my phone out and quickly called Dad. After the long and uninteresting conversation, he told me to meet him at the hospital. I called Rosalie quickly.

"Hello?" I heard Rosalie ask on the other end.

"Rose, I need your help now."

"Edward? What's wrong? Is Bella alright?"

"I have to take her to the hospital. You have to come here and watch Evelyn. Please.." I ran to Bella and took her hand. "Hang in there, love."

"I'm on my way." Rosalie hung up. I put my phone down and held both of Bella's hands. "Stay with me, Bella."

"Edward.." She cried. "Help me."

"I'm getting help, love." I say to her. I heard Evelyn's footsteps on the wood again and I saw Bella turn her head. I looked and she stood there, terrified.

"Evelyn.. Mommy's gonna be fine." Bella says to her. "Mommy's gonna be alright."

I heard the doorbell and I rushed to it. Rosalie stood there, her hair a mess and her eyes were red. "Rose?"

"I rushed here, I didn't have time to get myself all pretty!" She says, walking in with a blue bag on her shoulder. "Come on, Evelyn."

Evelyn looked at Rosalie and took her hand as they walked to the kitchen.

"Edward?" Bella called me. I rushed back to her and lifted her into my arms. She wrapped her arms around my neck and I carried her to the car. I put her in the car and closed her door after buckling her up. I drove to the hospital, almost speeding. I could barely take Bella's cries and groans in pain. As soon as I arrived, I jumped out the car and took Bella inside.

"HELP!" I yelled.

* * *

**|| Time: 12:32 PM ||**

* * *

I was pacing, ignoring the other people's stares. I felt my phone vibrate and I picked it up. "Hello?"

"Edward, how's Bella?" I heard Rosalie ask.

"I don't know, they're still checking on her.." I say, putting my hands on my face and then I sat down.

"Oh.. Listen, I took Evelyn to the park and so far, she doesn't seem to be sad about it. I hope she forgot some of it.."

"I hope so too. She was terrified." I saw Dad and I stood. "Rose, I'll call you back."

"Alright Edward." We hung up.

"You might want to go see her now. She's gonna need you for the next few hours." He says, leading me to the room.

* * *

**|| Room 342B || Time: 12:54 PM ||**

* * *

"Bella, it's alright." I say to her, wiping her tears.

"Edward, Bella," Dad and Allistari came in. Dad walked to the machines and then looked at Bella. "How are you feeling, Bella?"

"Sick.."

"What hurts?" Allistari asked, sitting on the bed.

"My head, my stomach, my chest.." She says, taking deep breaths. I squeezed her hand and she looked at me and then back at them.

"Does it hurt to breathe?"

She nodded and then looked at our hands.

"Bella," Dad begins. "You have a heart disease, did you know this?"

"Heart disease?"

"Yeah, it's one that's normally passed down. Did your parents or grandparents ever have it?"

"My great grandmother died young, but they never found out why.. She went to the doctor a lot, but I can't remember why.. She always had breathing tubes too.." She looks at him. "Is our baby okay?"

Allistari looked down and then back at us. "We did an ultrasound and we checked the heartbeat, we couldn't find one."

"How.. how.." Bella took a deep breath and started coughing and crying violently. I wrapped my arm around her and she snuggled in my arms and continued crying.

"Edward's blood type is B, and yours was A. The type A blood has antibodies that remove and terminate blood type B.. And that's what we believe happened."

"So now what?"

"We're gonna do a c-section and remove the baby so that we can try and figure out what happened." Dad answered.

* * *

I shot up on the seat and started breathing heavily. IT WAS JUST A DREAM?! Thank goodness... My phone vibrated in my pocket and I quickly looked at the ID. I answered it. "Rosalie?"

"Edward, hey.. Um, is Evelyn allergic to anything?"

"I don't think so.." I yawned and looked around. It was more empty than before.

"How's Bella?" She asked me. It sounded like she was putting something in the oven.

"I don't know yet.." I looked and saw Dad come to me. "I'm about to find out."

"Good luck." We hung up and I looked at Dad as he sat next to me.

"I have good news and bad news."

"Whatever makes more sense first.."

"Bad news is that we'll have to deliver the baby now in order to save him from anymore danger, and he's going to be more early than we like. And doing this lowers his chance of survival."

I sighed and then ran my hair. "Good news?"

"We didn't find anything wrong with Bella, but the reason she passed out and had pain was because of food poising." He took out his iPad he carries everywhere and opened up a story from the Journal News. "There were a bunch of bad eggs going around, and most were already bought."

"That means.." I took out my phone and called Rosalie.

"Edward? Everything's okay?"

"Does Evelyn look or feel sick?"

"I just put her down for a nap. She almost threw up earlier and I thought it was just 'cause she got sick... Why?"

"Hold on," I looked at him. "We all had breakfast this morning, if Evelyn's sick, what do I do?"

"Medicine, I'm sure Allistari will be able to give her a check up if you'd like. Come with me."

I got up and followed Carlisle to the room.

* * *

**|| Room 342B || Time: 12:54 PM ||**

* * *

Bella and Allistari were on the bed and Allistari turned around. "Are we ready yet?"

"Edward," Bella put her arms out. I walked to her and hugged her, not too tight. Then I placed multiple kisses upon her face and her head. She smiled softly. "I missed you."

"I missed you more." I tell her. It was true. Her smile, her eyes, he voice, her laugh. Everything about my Bella was perfect.

"How's Evelyn?" She looked at me and then she took a deep breath. "I couldn't see much, just blurs, but she sounded really scared."

"She was." I sighed. "I never seen her so scared before."

"Wait, can she come here before I give birth? Please?" Bella looked at my dad and Allistari.

"Sure, why not?" Dad smiled.

"Plus, I'd love to meet the little munchkin." Allistari smiled.

* * *

Bella and I sat on the bed waiting, and while we waited, we thought of some baby names.

"How about Robert or Luke? Maybe even Riley.." I asked her. I had my hand on hers and I felt her take it and squeeze it.

"I like Luke." She smiled. "How about his middle name? It could be Edward." She smiled and I smiled back.

"Luke Edward Cullen." I confirm. I pressed my lips on hers and she kissed back. As our lips moved in synchronization, I pulled her into my arms. She wrapped her arms around my neck and I put my hands on her waist and we continued making out until there was a small knock on the door. Bella pulled away and smiled then she sat on the bed and I got up and answered it. "Little munchkin," I picked her up and little Evelyn began laughing. "Look who's here, Bella." I closed the door and turned to Bella.

"Hi princess!" Bella squealed. I put Evelyn down and she ran to Bella and hugged her. I smiled. They loved and cared about each other so much, it was unreal. "I missed you so much." Bella says to her.

I smiled and sat next to Bella. Bella let Evelyn come onto the bed and sit in between us. Evelyn looked so happy seeing us. I kissed her head and began to tickle her. She started laughing and Bella joined me and we tickled her until she looked like she couldn't breathe. Then we waited and did it again.

* * *

**|| Time: 10:00 PM ||**

* * *

Evelyn sat on my lap while Bella and I read her a story. She was falling asleep, but she seemed to interested in the book. As soon as she fell asleep, I brought her to the couch and put her head on the pillow. I placed her build-a-bear, Brooke, in her arms and she hugged her. I went back to Bella and she hugged me tight and we both looked at Evelyn.

"She's such a bundle of joy." Bella says with a smile. "I can't wait to be home and actually get started with our family. Just you, me, Evelyn, and little Luke. It will be perfect."

* * *

**|| Date: August 4, 2011 || Time: 9:00 AM ||**

* * *

I held Bella's hand as all of her effort was put into dealing with the contractions. She cried every time one came and she'd smile in victory every time it went away. As they got closer, she stopped smiling and all she could think about is what our child would look like. Then when the time came, the entire earth stopped moving for me.

The amount of pain she was in as painful to watch as it was when Evelyn had to be separated from Bella. She was crying hysterically, the tears fall down her cheeks and her face was red as she reached out to Bella. Unfortunately, at this time, Rose, who held her back, was not her best friend. Of course, Evelyn still loves Rose, but this made her upset. While they were getting Bella ready, I waited outside the door. I looked in the mirror as I brushed my teeth. I was a mess. My hair was everywhere and my beard was growing back. I haven't shaved in weeks. Worrying about this adoption and this baby have made me forget about taking care of myself. Finally, as I exit the bathroom, the red-haired Allistari comes out and leads me to the room. Bella was opened up and they were ready to start. I sat by Bella and took her hand. She smiled and I kissed her cheek.

It felt like forever, and both of us stared at each other. Finally, Bella looked away at the same time we heard a cry. The world had stopped turning, and everyone stopped breathing. I placed several kisses upon my Bella's head and two on her lips.

* * *

**|| Time: 11:47 AM ||**

* * *

"Where's Evelyn? I wanna see her?" Bella looked around and then she whimpered and sat back.

"Love, you need some rest." I tell her. We both were on the bed. After they sewed her up, they told us Bella would need to rest for about a week. And she could not lift heavy items, and by heavy, anything over 20 pounds, which included Evelyn. She could hug her and cuddle her, but doing anything that included lifting her or carrying her was big no no. It pained Bella, but if she wanted to heal fast, this was a rule she had to obey. If she walked around, she could only walk to certain places and distances.

As for our Luke, he's in the NICU. He was so underdeveloped that only the most healthy people can visit him. He was so weak and had so much more things to develop that even a common cold would kill him. This also meant that if we were to visit Luke, it would be a 5-minute meeting that would be no touching or holding. At least not yet. They also want Bella to pump breast-milk for Luke. She was so new to everything.

Both of us had to get used to this because they said it could be half a year before we can officially hold Luke or bring him home. They were sending Bella home tomorrow and she could go out again a week later. So I was planning to bring Evelyn to the toy store so she didn't have to wait so long to have something to do besides play with us. Even though her room was enormous for her and she had so many things, most of the stuff she had were things she couldn't play with, things she couldn't do without us, and things that were just there. She could only watch TV and rarely she wanted to.

Deciding it was best to wait until Bella was awake before bringing Evelyn to see her, I decided it was best for Rosalie to go home, freshen up, and I would take Evelyn to get something to eat. Hopefully when I return, Bella's not only awake, but ready to see Evelyn again.

I got a call from Karen as Bella fell asleep. I answered it and then walked out the room when Bella was surely asleep.

"Hello?"

"Hey Edward." Karen says, sounding happy. "How's life?"

"It's been complicated.."

"Bella told me.. Is she okay? Is the baby okay? Is everyone okay?"

"Everyone's fine, but they won't let us see the baby for more than five minutes, nor will they let us hold him. However, I've never seen Evelyn so upset before."

"Did you scare her unintentionally?"

"Unfortunately.."

"Michael and I have done that before too. The only way to calm her down is to read a book to her. She loves books, and she loves the pictures in the book. She's one of the only kids I know that is willing to learn something new. Especially if it's going to get her mind off of things for hours or a day. Of course, her memory is amazing and it's hard for her to forget things, anything new will interest her. Anyways, I gotta go. Talk to you soon."

"Thanks Karen," I hang up and then walk to the waiting room. Rosalie was brushing Evelyn's hair and Evelyn was looking at the floor. I walked to them and Evelyn looked at me and smiled.

"I told you he'd be back, little one." Rose says to her then puts a kiss on her temple. "How's Bella?"

"She's sleeping now. Why don't you go home and freshen up while I take Evelyn out to get something to eat?"

"Alright." She smiled and then Evelyn got up and turned around. "I had fun with you little one. I can't wait to see you again." Evelyn and her shared a hug and then Rose got up. "See you guys soon." She says, and then waved before leaving.

"Why don't I take you home and we freshen up a bit before we head out to eat?" I bent down and asked her. She nodded and then I picked her up and carried her to the car. After I buckled her up in her booster seat, I drove home. Once we got home, I took Evelyn inside and carried her to her room. I put her down. "Go pick out what you wanna wear." I tell her. She went to the closet and took her favorite sneakers, and blue jeans with a blue shirt. I helped her change and then I changed. I put on simple blue jeans and a white shirt, then I took her downstairs and put her on the couch to put her shoes on. "You alright Evelyn?"

She looked up at me and nodded slowly. I kissed her head and took her to the car. Honestly, she was normally quiet, but this quiet actually scared me. I wondered what was on her mind. Once I pulled into Applebee's and we walked inside, Evelyn held onto me tight. It wasn't that busy, but it was big and I knew she hated big places. I squeezed her hand and I was greeted immediately by Bella's old friend, Angela.

"Hey Edward! Where's Bella? Usually you two are here together." She smiled at me and looked down. "And who is this little cutie?"

"She's our daughter, Evelyn. Evelyn, this is mommy's friend, Angela." I say to her. Evelyn looked at her and then waved shyly.

"Oh god, she's so cute. Alright, come with me." She took us to a table and we sat across from each other. "I'll be back soon to take your orders." She walked away.

Evelyn looked at her kids menu and then bit her lip and took the crayons out. They fell on the table and she put the menu back down. She looked at me and then looked back at her menu and opened it up. She started coloring and I realized I don't know what she likes from here.

"Evelyn?" She looks at me and smiles. "Let me see for a second." She handed me the menu and I looked at it. The kids menu had burgers, pizzas, salads, chicken fingers, and macaroni and cheese. "Do you wanna have macaroni and cheese?" She nodded. "And apple juice?" She nodded again. "Alright, here." I put the menu back in front of her and she continued coloring. Before I gave it back, I glanced at a picture she drew of a bloody body, with their eyes wide open and a hole in their chest.

After the food arrived, and we ate, I noticed she looked sick. Then I remembered she was just sick. "Evelyn? You alright?" She looked up at me and nodded again. She took another sip of her apple juice and then she sighed. "Ready to go?" She doesn't even look too happy. Maybe she wasn't having enough fun yet. She then nodded and I took her to the car. Just as I buckled her in and closed the door, she began crying. I opened the door again and unbuckled her. "What's wrong?" I asked, worry in my eyes. I take her out and hold her in my arms. She had to have thought about something, or someone. Maybe Bella, or her other parents. The ones she witness die. Karen did mention her amazing memory. "Shh, it's alright Evelyn." She put her head in my chest and covered her face as she continued to cry. Her cry was heartbreaking, and seeing her this way was almost too much to handle. I rocked her slowly, and tried to at least put her to sleep. After she calmed down, she sniffled and pulled away. I kissed her head twice and then wiped her tears. "Let's go home." I'll take her to the toy store later. She nodded and then I put her in her chair and buckle her up again.

* * *

**|| Time: 3:45 PM ||**

* * *

I sat on the couch watching TV and then I heard crying from upstairs. I walked quickly to Evelyn's room and she was in her bed. She looked like she had a nightmare. I walked to her and sat on the bed. She looked up at me and whimpered. I pulled her into my arms and she whimpered and shook in my arms. I felt so helpless. She must have had one of _those_ nightmares. The ones you can't remove from your head. Then after she calmed down a little, I got a book and sat down next to her. She moved into my arms and I began to read to her. Karen was right. Her love for learning new things took over and all she did was suck her thumb and stare in amazement. Who knew a kid so small can love learning about planets so much? Then after I finished, she smiled. Hopefully, Karen told me the truth.

* * *

**|| Time: 5:25 PM ||**

* * *

I bought Evelyn back to the hospital when I realized Bella must have been awake for a while. We both walked in the room and Bella was still asleep. Damn. Evelyn walked over to the bed slowly and quietly and then she got on the bed and put her head on Bella's chest. Bella didn't budge. In fact, it was only a deep sigh that made me sigh in relief she was alive. I sat on the chair and relaxed.

* * *

**|| Date: August 5, 2011 || Time: 7:47 AM ||**

* * *

I put Evelyn in her car seat as we were leaving the hospital. She was falling asleep, and since it was an early morning, we were letting her go to sleep. I placed Brooke in her arms and she squeezed it tightly before yawning once more. I closed the door and helped Bella into the car and then got into my seat. Driving home, I noticed Bella looked a bit exhausted. "Love, are you feeling okay?"

"Hm? Yeah. I'm just so tired.. I wasn't able to sleep last night... And now I'm probably super tired. How was Evelyn the whole time?"

"She was good. I took her to Applebee's and we saw your friend, Angela. After a while, I wasn't sure if she was sick or sad. Once we got to the car, she started crying. It took a while before I could calm her down." I tell her, then I glanced at Evelyn who was asleep.

"That happened when I was giving her a bath her first night. It scared me at first, so I asked Karen, but it happens a lot.. She said playing with her or reading her a book would get her mind off of things for a little bit."

"Yeah, I read her a book about the planets after she had a nightmare and she looked so happy. I guess she was right about that."

Bella turned around and then looked back up front. "Karen also told me that after she's used to us that we should start taking her to a therapist. Not because she's crazy, but because she might need.. Mm.. How do I explain this.. Oh, because she still remembers that night with her family, and even an hour with the therapist could get her mind off of things. She recommended me one, and I'm gonna try to make a meeting with her soon. You can join us if you'd like."

"I most likely will. And I do know her memory is incredible. She drew a picture yesterday and it wasn't hard to guess it was a dead body."

Bella's hands went to her mouth and she gasped. "A dead body?"

I nodded and then I sighed. "I really wish she didn't have to go through that pain."

"I agree." Bella sighs and yawns. "I'm sooo tired.. But I don't wanna sleep."

"Go ahead and sleep. I'll be able to carry you both inside." I chuckled.

* * *

**|| Time: 11:12 AM ||**

* * *

I closed my laptop after sending the email I needed to send to the job interviewer. I heard footsteps down the hallway and I looked and saw Evelyn at the door. I smiled and she smiled back and waddled over. I put the laptop on the nightstand and picked her up and put her on my lap. I kissed her forehead and then we both looked at Bella. She was awake, but she wasn't moving. Only breathing gave it away. Then she looked at us and back down.

"Bella?" I asked, still looking at her. She sat up and then sighed.

"I'm alright.. Just a really, really bad dream.." She yawns then she looked at her feet. "What time is it?"

"11:12." I say. "I was gonna take Evelyn to the toy store later. Would you like to come?"

"I wish I could. But it hurts to move." She frowned. "You two go have fun, maybe Alice could come over and paint my nails or something."

* * *

**|| Time: 3:25 PM ||**

* * *

I pulled into a parking spot by the toy store. After going inside with Evelyn, I could see how happy she became, also how nervous. I let her sit in the cart and I pushed to the girl's section. She chose a Barbie doll family, Ken, Barbie, Kelly, and a baby, and I let her get a small house. Then she chose a few extra things for the house and a car. I didn't care, she just seemed so happy. After I let her out the cart, she had left and come back with even more things. I couldn't say no, especially when she had that adorable smile.

After she had picked all the Barbie things she wanted, we moved on to the second aisle. The cart wasn't that full, and I wasn't too shocked. But when she came across the Monster High dolls, she was done. She picked up every dolls she could even reach. I took some for her too. And now, she needs a bigger house. So we put the other house down and took the Dream House, which required tons of adult assembly. I'd do anything for Evelyn.

After we left the girls section, I got a phone call. I answered it.

"Hello?" I asked, stopping. Evelyn looked up and stared at me.

"Hey Edward. It's Karen." She said in a cheery tone.

"Hey Karen, what's up?" I begin to push the cart to the electronics and I let Evelyn go to the little books they have for the Leap-Reader.

"I forgot to mention this to you yesterday, and this is super important, but there's a man after Evelyn. I already told Bella, but she told me you were at the toy store, so I had to tell you. This man has been looking for Evelyn since he got out of high school. He's about your age too. So, just be careful."

I was speechless. I looked at Evelyn and she was staring at something. "Evelyn, come here." She looks at me and skips over to me. "Alright, thanks Karen." We hung up and I looked at Evelyn again. "What were you looking at?" She shook her head. "Never mind, come on. Let's finish up."

Once we finished, I walked to the register and put all the stuff on the conveyor belt. Then I looked up and realized who was at the register.

"Jasper?" I raised my eyebrow.

He looked up at me. "Edward, long time no see.. Actually, really long time no see.." He says, still checking some of the things out.

"Where have you been the past year?" I asked him, still surprised to see him.

"Everywhere. Mom and dad kicked me out, so I found an apartment down in Texas. It's actually nice, the neighborhood is too. I came back a few months ago and now I'm taking some classes at the community college, and I also work here and at the gaming store." He looks at all the stuff. "Who are you buying all of this for?"

"My daughter, Evelyn." I say, looking down at her. She looks at me and then at Jasper and waves shyly, just like how she did to Angela.

"Wow, she looks just like you!"

"Really?"

"Yeah man, really similar. You know, it makes me real happy to actually see you. The past year hasn't been the best for me." He sighs.

"I've been worried about you. Especially after mom and dad kicked you out." I put some of the stuff in the cart.

"How's Alice?"

I pause and then look at him. "Her and Jacob are engaged."

He nods and then he presses a few buttons and continues. "Good for her, I guess. It makes sense, now that she has a family and all.."

After he finished scanning everything, and I paid him. I ended up buying Evelyn $500 worth of toys, and I know she'd take good care of them. Then I sighed. "We should catch up a little, Jasper."

"Yeah, we should soon." He sighs and turns off his register light. "You want help?"

"Yeah sure." We walked out and then he helped me load the car. "Thanks, Jasper."

"Anytime." He sighs. "I should go now. See you soon, Edward." He looked at Evelyn. "Bye Evelyn."

She looked at him and waved again and gave him a smile. Jasper walked off and I put Evelyn in her car seat and drove home.

* * *

**|| Time: 6:23 PM ||**

* * *

I watched Evelyn as she put the furniture in her doll house. She looked so happy doing so, and then she turned around and looked at me. A smile was on her face and she turned back and continued. I heard footsteps down the hallway and I saw Bella walking to this room. She walked in and sat down in the chair next to me. I took her hand and she looked back at me and I gave her a smile. She blushed and smiled back. Evelyn looked at us and smiled and waved. Bella and I waved back and she continued to play.

"So, I ran into Jasper today." I say. She looked at me and then opened her mouth and I put my finger to her lip. "He's alright. He knows he made a mistake and right now, he's going to school and he lives in an apartment now."

"Really? Did he meet Evelyn?" She sat back in the chair and crossed her arms against her chest.

"Yeah, he said we look-alike." Bella nodded. "You think so too?"

"Yeah, I do. You guys have, like, the same head and the same nose and ears and everything." She smiled and then looked at Evelyn. Evelyn was in her own world, silently playing.

"This is great.. Just us and Evelyn and a baby." She smiled and then it faded. "I wish it didn't take so long for it to be so great."

"I know, but at least we got what we wanted." I say then I stood up. "I'm gonna get dinner started. Coming?"

Bella nodded and stood up. "Evelyn, we're going to make dinner. Would you like to help us?"

Evelyn turned around and nodded. She skipped over and grabbed my hand. I held it tight and we walked downstairs together.

* * *

**So that's the first chapter, and probably one of the longest chapters in this entire book. I hope you enjoyed this. Please review, it would mean a lot to me, and share with others. :)**

**~Gabby**


	2. Chapter 2

**|| My Love || Chapter 2 || Bella's POV ||**

**|| Date: August 5, 2011 || Time: 7:43 PM ||**

**I'm probably updating the epilogue soon..**

* * *

I stood at the door, waiting for Evelyn. She was in the bathroom, and this time she didn't want me to sit and wait for her inside the bathroom, she wanted me to wait out here. I don't know why, but it seems like it takes a really long time for Evelyn to use the bathroom. I heard the toilet flush and I sighed in relief she went by herself. I opened the door and heard a bump and a thud. Oh no, don't tell me..

I heard a loud cry and I looked on the other side of the door and saw Evelyn holding her head and crying. "Evelyn! I'm so sorry." I bent down and pulled her into my arms. She snuggled into my arms. I heard Edward rush up the stairs and he opened the door.

"Is everything okay?" He asked, then bending down near us and he took Evelyn's hand.

"Yeah.. I think when I opened the door, she hit her head on the door when she went to open it." I kissed Evelyn's head and rocked her. "Let me see," She looked at me and there was blood coming out of it.

"Let's get it cleaned up then." Edward wiped her tears and I kissed her head once again. Evelyn sniffled and whimpered.

"I'm so sorry, Evelyn. You'll forgive me, won't you?" She looked at me and nodded slowly, then put her hand on her forehead and looked at her head. She whimpered and more tears fell down her cheeks. I stood up and put her on the sink counter. Edward took a towel and wet it, then he pat her head. At first, she flinched and he moved away. After wiping the blood off, he had to clean it. She screamed so loudly as the alcohol, and both of us hated doing this. Then we put a bandage on her head and he took her to bed. I went on my computer and took a look at my emails.

_-One New Message-_

I looked at the message and I read it carefully.

_Hello Mrs. Cullen,_

_This is Anna Stanley. I am a child therapist and Karen and Michael told me I could contact you at this email. I've helped children like your Evelyn for years, and would love to meet her. Please contact me at 1-232-354-6853. Thank you._

_-Anna Stanley-_

I wrote down the number and then got up carefully and put the laptop away. Then I walked to Evelyn's room and she was laying on her bed and Edward was reading her a book. I smiled then stood by the door. I knocked and they both looked at me.

"I'm going to sleep now." I walked over to Evelyn and kissed her cheeks. "Goodnight, love." She kissed my cheek and I smiled and then looked at Edward. "Don't be too long now." I winked and he smirked. I skipped back to bed and laid down.

* * *

**|| Date: August 6, 2011 || Time: 5:43 AM ||**

* * *

I woke up and stared at the clock. Am I really awake at this time? I groaned and sat up. Edward was still sleeping next to me. I stood up and walked to the bathroom. I combed my hair and brushed my teeth. Then I walked to Evelyn's room and saw her still sleeping. She looked so happy, I smiled and closed the door quietly. I walked downstairs and sat at the table, drinking water. I pat my foot on the floor and then a thought hit me.

Who was this man and why was he trying to find my daughter? I was so happy to have her, and I hate to worry I could lose her. Does he know Evelyn? Did he ever meet her? I needed answers, and the worst part was all I knew was that he lives in this area. Edward and I would have to be very careful. The murder of her entire family was enough, and I wanted her to be happy, not scared. I don't know who this man is, and I do not know where this man is, but I hope with every inch of my heart that he is found and he is arrested.

I heard footsteps on the floor upstairs and I looked. Evelyn was peaking at me and she giggled. I looked at the time again, it was after 7 AM.

"Hello, sweetie." I put my cup down and walked up the stairs and lifted her into my arms. She hugged me back and I pressed a small kiss on her lips. I put my finger on my lips. "Shh." She smiled and we looked at the bedroom and still saw Edward sleeping. "Daddy's still asleep. Why don't we make him breakfast?"

She nodded and we walked down the stairs and made some eggs and bacon. We walked back up the stairs slowly and then Evelyn walked into our room and pat Edward's arm. She looked so nervous. I put the plate and orange juice to the side and then Evelyn waited. Edward finally woke up after a while and he looked at us.

"Morning, Edward." I smiled. Evelyn clapped and then got on the bed.

* * *

**|| Time: 11:34 AM ||**

* * *

I tapped my foot on the floor and sighed. Edward and Evelyn were busy putting one of her other Barbie toys together. I walked to my room and dialed the number for Anna.

"Hello, this is Anna." The woman sounded like she was happy.

"Hi, Anna Stanley? This is Bella Cullen.. calling about the email you sent me." I say softly, looking at the number in my hands.

"Oh! Hello Bella. It's nice to finally hear from you." We both talked for a little, and I agreed to meet up with her, without Evelyn the first time, just to get to know her. She seemed like a nice person, and she sounded like she cared.

* * *

**|| Time: 5:54 PM ||**

* * *

I went out to the restaurant where Anna wanted to meet. I found what Anna described herself to look like and I walked to the table. "Anna?"

She looked at me. Immediately, I noticed her eyes were a light blue. She was pale skinned, her hair was up to her shoulders, and it was brown with blonde highlights. Her smile was small and she was about my height and she stood up to shake my hand. "You must be Bella."

"Yeah. Sorry I'm late, Evelyn didn't want me to leave and I had to rock her to sleep." I sat down across from her.

"That's alright. It's so nice to finally meet you. Karen and Michael keep talking about how happy they are Evelyn has parents." She smiled bigger.

"May I ask how you know Karen and Michael?" I glanced at the menu.

"Sure, Michael's my brother." She looked at the waiter. After she took our orders, Anna looked back at me. "So tell me.. Like, about you, your husband, Evelyn, stuff like that. I'd love to get to know you."

"Well, my husband, Edward, and I met in high school at a party at his house.. It was bittersweet really.. And we got married almost two years ago." I smiled at the memory of our wedding and honeymoon. "I tried to get pregnant, and each time ended in a miscarriage.. Then they told me I couldn't have kids.. So Edward and I took a break from trying.. Then we tried again and I got pregnant.. Then they said I miscarried and we turned to adoption. We met this teenager who didn't want her baby, at first, then after the baby was born and the thirty days were up, she changed her mind.. Then Karen told us about Evelyn and here we are today." I realized how much I said. "Sorry, that was a lot."

"Hey, I asked." She smiled and took a sip of her water. I didn't even realize the drinks came. "So, how is it with Evelyn?"

"She's.. she's perfect.. I swear, she's an angel sent from heaven. I wish I found her earlier.. She's just a great kid.. Well behaved, caring, and very, very careful. We made breakfast for my husband the other day and she was so scared to wake him up.."

"And.. is it hard to communicate?"

I never realized it until now that even getting Evelyn to answer a question that can be answered with pointing was difficult. I nodded. "Yeah.. It gets frustrating, but Edward and I always think about how lucky we are to even have her."

"You're not like many other parents.. And that's a good thing.. Has Karen and Michael told you how many parents Evelyn's had before you?" I shook my head. "About fifteen, but only those fifteen got to meet her, twenty-three in all, and the others however didn't want her..."

"And... they all put her back for the same reasons?" I took a sip from the straw that was in my iced tea. Man was this good.

"Most of them. The communication issue was the main one. One of the families just didn't.. didn't.. what's the word.. They just didn't love Evelyn as much as they thought they would. They loved her, but they just thought she wasn't good enough to be in their family.. I never got to meet Evelyn, even when Michael's told me so much about her.. Does she know that she's yours forever?"

I couldn't answer that. Evelyn seemed so happy with us, but I'm not sure if she truly knows how much we love her. "I wish I knew." I sighed and then took another sip. "She's.. a great addition to the family.."

"Wait, are you still pregnant?" I shook my head.

"I had my baby a few days after adopting Evelyn.. But they won't let me see him." I tell her. "Evelyn still doesn't know, because if he dies, I don't want her to feel like it's her fault. She's already been though so much, y'know?"

She nodded. "I get it. My husband and I lost our first child when he was four. We were all swimming at the pool and someone 'accidentally' jumped into the pool and they fell on him and he had an asthma attack at the same time. He died in my arms. It was so painful. We have four other kids, they know they had an older brother, but we never talk about him. My husband gets too emotional when we mention his name.. Or if anyone says it, even when it's not about him."

"I'm so sorry." I tell her.

She nods and then sighs. "It's one of the reasons Michael began working as a social worker. He wants every kid to be happy, and he realized how important life is.. and what it's like to lose a child so close to him. That made him realize how many parents can't have children. And to make himself and other happy, he finished college and found Karen." I have way more respect for Michael now. "But anyways, I'm just so happy to hear about Evelyn being adopted. But.. Michael told me some guy was after her.. Is that true?"

"Her birth family's murderer's son is looking for Evelyn to finish the job.." I tell her softly.

"Oh, that makes me sick..." She sighs. "I hear things like this at least once a year, someone always wants to finish the job. Screw people like that.. But anyways.." She looked and smiled. "Food's here."

"It's about time." We both laughed.

While we were eating, I took a sip and then looked at Anna. "How old are you? Y'know, if it's not that weird to ask."

"I'm 26. Surprising?"

"Yeah, you don't look 26." She looked like she was around 21 or something.

"You should have seen my husband's face.. He's 30, and he thought I was a minor when we met. He was only 24 when we met.. He's amazing.." She smiled. "Sorry, I'm getting carried away.." She was blushing and then she bit her bottom lip.

"How long have you been married?"

"Going on 6 years.." She smiled.

"Wow, that's nice." I gave her a warm smile.

"I have another tough question for you. Is it easier to have a child who can't communicate now then to have a," She used quotes. "Normal child."

"It's.. easier.. but it comes with challenges... Not knowing what she wants.. Not knowing what she's crying about.."

"I get it. I have an autistic daughter. She's only three.. And people ask me what it's like when really, it's just like raising a child with challenges and these challenges make us stronger parents."

And she was right.

* * *

**|| Time: 8:44 PM ||**

* * *

I walked into the house, expecting to see Edward and Evelyn on the couch watching TV. Nope. I walked up the stairs and check in my room. Nope. Evelyn's room. Nope. No one's home. I go to the kitchen and find a note on the fridge.

_-Took Evelyn to my parents, be back soon._

I put the note down and make myself some coffee, it's late for it, but I didn't have any at all today. Then I go to watch TV. It was really late now.

I woke up and stared at the ceiling. My eyes were watery and I don't know what was going on. Where am I? I sat up and saw a person, or I think it was a person. They stared at me and I stared back. Then the face was clearer and I realized who it was. Todd.

He walked to me, and I couldn't move, and he got on top of me. Then he tore off my clothes, and I couldn't fight back. My words, they were silent, and my screams were not heard. I was punched, every blow worse and worse and my breathing heavier and heavier. Then, as if he tried to kill me, he forced himself into me. Each time he did, my heartbeat slowed down to a stop and it blacked out.

* * *

**|| Date: August 7, 2011 || Time: 4:56 AM ||**

* * *

I felt someone shaking me and I opened my eyes. It was a dream. A nightmare. A scary, scary nightmare. It was Edward. I started crying and he pulled me into his arms. No words, just embracing. I didn't realize I was shaking until Edward began to rub my back. I couldn't even breathe properly. He wasn't saying anything. I could still feel the nightmare. It hurt so much. I even felt my cheeks and chest hurt. After what seemed like forever, I calmed down and whimpered.

"Bella," Edward spoke in my ear softly. "My love, you're okay now. No one's going to hurt you." I knew he was right, but it hurts so much, and it felt so real. I took a deep breath and moved back to the pillow and wrapped the blanket around me to sleep.

I finally looked at him and he's looking at me worried. I tried to smile as a thank you, but it failed. Instead, when he laid down again, I snuggled into his arms. He wrapped his arms around me and immediately, I was tired again.

* * *

**|| Time: 9:34 AM ||**

* * *

I woke up to a cry, but not any cry, my Evelyn's cry. I got out of bed and walked slowly to the end of the hallway to Evelyn's room. I looked and saw Evelyn and Edward on the bed. It looked like one of Evelyn's break-downs, the ones that scared us and were random. I walked over and carefully sat next to her. I took her hand and kissed it. "Breathe, Evelyn." I whispered. Edward sat on the other side of her and held her too. This helped, and she calmed down faster.

"No one's gonna hurt you." Edward tells her, rocking her. She looked at both of us and yawned. "Go back to sleep, we'll wake you soon."

"Yes, please go back to sleep." I tell her. And she does. We set her back in her bed carefully and leave kisses on her head.

* * *

I sat with Evelyn on my lap, Edward next to me, and we watched TV. Good Morning, America to be exact. We were watching the cooking portion and then Edward looked at me.

"How was it yesterday?" I looked at him confused. "You went to see Anna?"

"Oh, yes. She's pretty nice. I'd love for her to be Evelyn's therapist." I say, smiling. I felt Evelyn's eyes on me and I looked at her. "Would you go to therapy for me and daddy?"

She hesitated and then nodded with a small smile. "Thank you." Edward kissed her head, and I did too.

"Don't worry, love. You're going to love her." I promised. Evelyn still nodded and turned back to the TV. Edward and I smiled at each other and looked back at the TV.

I planned for Evelyn and Edward to meet Anna on August 10. A few days before Edward and my second year anniversary, and I know we'll be doing something special. Edward's good at hiding things from me.

* * *

**|| Date: August 10, 2011 || Time: 7:45 AM ||**

* * *

It's three hours away from us, the office we're all meeting up at. Evelyn's usually a morning person, but not today. Especially since she went to sleep an hour or two later than usual. I promised her on the way there I'd get her some breakfast, like a bagel or a doughnut and some juice. Honestly, I hated waking her up so early, but in the future, the meetings will be later and I'll be putting Evelyn to sleep much earlier. Evelyn had a breakdown yesterday, so Edward and I had to try comfort her once again, but she didn't stop. She kept crying and crying, and that's why she went to sleep so late.

Today, Evelyn promised she'd do her best to be nice to Anna, since Anna's going to be her therapist until Evelyn's old enough. Even after, she'll still be part of our family. Little Evelyn was wearing her favorite outfit, which was blue jeans, a pink t-shirt with hearts on it, her favorite shoes she arrived to our house in, and her hair was in a ponytail.

On the way there, I looked back at Evelyn and she was looking at me. She blushed and smiled and I smiled back. We stopped on the way and we all went inside to get doughnuts and bagels. After going back to the car, we were on our way.

"Oh, you can eat now, Evelyn." I decided to sit with her so that she has help.

She took her glazed doughnut out the bag and bit it. She smiled and bit again. Then she gave me her bottle of orange juice.

"Do you have the straw?" I asked, opening up the bottle of pulp-free orange juice. She nods and takes the red straw out the bag and hands it to me. I opened the straw and let her take a sip out of it. She gave it back and I closed it. I took sips of my coffee and bites of my toasted bagel on the way as well.

When we arrived, we were finished eating. Edward helped Evelyn out the car and I threw out all the garbage. Inside, I signed in and we waited for Anna. When she came out the office, she smiled.

"Hello Bella!" She waved and walked over. I stood up and smiled.

"Hey Anna. This is my husband, Edward, and little Evelyn, our daughter."

"It's nice to meet you, Edward. And hello Evelyn!" She looked at Evelyn and smiled.

Evelyn waved at her shyly and looked away. Her cheeks were red and she squeezed my hand. I squeezed it back.

"Okay, follow me." Anna skipped to the first door down the right hallway, and we followed. She unlocked the door and walked in.

The room was painted yellow, and the floors were wooden. On the wall next to the door, there were 20 cubbies, a few with names on them and hooks. In the middle of the room was a horseshoe table, with small red seats. In the right corner, there was a multicolor floor with a toy box and bean bag chairs. There was a bookcase too. The rest of the room had pictures and tables and play areas.

"Okay, come with me, Evelyn." We walked to the toy box. "You can choose one stuffed animal and one book you'd like to read. Every week, we'll choose a different book, alright?"

Evelyn nodded and then looked in the toy box and dug around. Then she took out an elephant and squeezed it.

"Would you like that one?" Evelyn nodded. "Alright, choose a book." She walked to the bookcase and chose one of my favorite books as a child.

"Great pick. Go sit over there. I'm gonna get something." She skipped to the closet on the left end of the room and opened it up. Searching for something and she pulls out paper and crayons. Then we all sat at the table. "Okay, Evelyn, why don't you draw me a picture? It can be anything you'd like."

While Evelyn colored, learning she was left-handed, Anna talked to us. We talked about her behavior, eating habits, everything about her really. Soon, she was done.

"Okay, can I guess what this is?" Evelyn nodded and Anna continued. "This is your mommy and daddy, right?" She smiled and nodded. "And this is the rest of your family?" She pointed to the tons of people in the house. Evelyn nodded once more. "And these people up here," She points to the clouds. "Is your family in heaven, right?" Evelyn nodded slower and she bit her lip. I pat her head and she looked at me. Her eyes watered and she looked down and whimpered. "You're a good artist, you know that?" And then she started crying. "Does this happen when she thinks about her family?"

I nodded. "A couple of times since we adopted her. And a lot of the time, it's when she seems so happy."

"Alright, I'm gonna teach you two a technique that should work." She looked at Evelyn. "Evelyn, breathe. It's alright." She started breathing and then she looked at us. We were all breathing and soon, she was breathing with us. We had to have taken over a hundred breaths before she began breathing with us.

Then Anna read the book to her, and she was smiling the rest of the time.

* * *

**|| Date: August 12, 2011 || Time: 6:57 PM ||**

* * *

Evelyn was really excited to see Anna again, but she will see her tomorrow morning, then Edward and I go on our date. We'll be gone for a day or two and Evelyn will stay with Rosalie. Man, Rosalie was excited to see Evelyn again. Edward was taking me to California, which makes me excited. We were packing, and spending lots of time with little Evelyn. Soon, we were on our way to Rose's new apartment. She recently moved out of Carlisle and Esme's place and into an apartment with Emmett. He's not gonna be home for a few weeks, so Rose and Evelyn will be together, alone. If that makes sense...

I was holding Evelyn's suitcase as we walked to apartment 33 and Evelyn eagerly knocked. It's nice to see her this excited and not as shy as normal. Rosalie opened the door and smiled. "Evelyn!" Evelyn squealed and clapped. "Come here you!" Evelyn laughed and hugged her. "Come in guys." She carried Evelyn inside. We walked inside too.

"Okay, this is all the stuff she'll need, her stuffed animal as well. If she's hungry, give her something simple, like pasta." I put the suitcase down next to the couch.

"And if she looks a little sad, there are some books in the suitcase. And don't let her go to bed too late." Edward says after me.

"Of course. 9 o'clock?"

"9-ish, 10 o'clock. She won't sleep until a litttle later anyways. Read her to sleep, or do something to make her tired." Edward answers and then he wraps his arms around me and kisses my head. "We'll be home next week."

"Okay." She nods and puts Evelyn down.

"Alright, Evelyn. Promise you'll be good for Aunt Rose?" Edward bent down and pat her head. Evelyn nodded and they hugged. He kissed her head and pulled away. She turned to me.

"Little Evelyn, we'll be home soon. Be good, okay? Remember, breathe." I kissed her head and we hugged. Then she pulled away and Edward and I left.

* * *

**|| Date: August 13, 2011 || Time: 8:34 AM ||**

* * *

"Rise and shine, love." I moved a little more into Edward's arms and he rubbed my arm. "Come on, love. We've got a lot to do today."

"A lot to do.." I mumbled and turned around in his arms. He wrapped his arms around me and I moved my head on his chest. Our bodies touching, and me getting the goosebumps. I haven't been naked like this in a while. I heard him chuckle and he kissed my neck, and sucked my sweet spot. I gasped and held him tight. He pulled away and stared at me.

"Happy anniversary, my love." He whispered and rubbed my cheek. I smiled at him and got on top of him and kissed him. He held me down onto his chest while we made out.

* * *

**|| Time: 12:23 PM ||**

* * *

We walked into the restaurant, hand-in-hand, smiles on our faces. He let go of my hand and wrapped his arm around me. I smiled and we took our seats. After ordering the same meal, pasta with shrimp, both of us begin eating our appetizer.

"How are you feeling?" I looked at Edward and smiled.

"Great, actually." I bit a piece of the fry and then bit my lip. "How are you?"

"Great, especially with you here with me." I blushed and looked away. When I met his eyes again, I smiled.

"I wouldn't be here if you didn't ask me the question." I bit my fry again and he nodded.

"I was always gonna ask you the question. Even when we met, I knew it was going to be you." He took a sip of his water.

"So, what have you been up to lately? You go out and come home late sometimes." I took a sip of my iced tea, the best I've had in a while, and looked at him more serious.

"I've been looking for work. Seattle has a couple of jobs, and I'm qualified for all of them, but I wanted to talk to you about that before I go in for a job interview." He takes another sip and then dips a fry in ketchup.

"A job? But you're pretty much rich.." I looked at him baffled. I know he's telling the truth, but a job? His dad was the chief at a hospital, and other members leave tons of money in their will specifically for the Cullens.

"Yeah, I don't wanna have to rely on another person's paycheck for money, y'know? Besides, now that we have kids, we need to be able to support the house and our kids." Valid reason, Edward. Very valid.

I smiled. "So I guess I'm the stay at home mom, aren't I?"

He laughed and nodded. "Yeah, you are. The jobs I'm looking at pay a lot." He explained the types of jobs, including one I loved especially, teacher's aide.

Edward and I did go to college, but what happened was that my parents got sick. I never finished, and he took online classes and eventually graduated. He says the schools in Seattle pay enough to pay for Luke's medical bill when he's out the hospital. Edward's great with kids too, so the choice is perfect. Absolutely perfect. I told him to go for the teacher's aide job.

After lunch, we went to the beach. It was crowded, and I don't like the water, so Edward and I enjoyed the view. Both of us were under an umbrella, music playing softly in our ears, arms wrapped around each other, my leg on his torso.. It was perfect.

I didn't realize I fell asleep until I felt Edward's cold hand on my back. I looked up and he was on the phone. I didn't know who, but he seemed like he was content. Then he hung up after saying goodbye. I moved into his arms more and sighed. He kissed my head and he sighed too. We were silent for a while then he spoke.

"I'm sorry I woke you." He whispered. The beach was loud, but I heard him. I moved a little to face him and I nodded and yawned.

"That's okay.." I felt him run his hand up and down my back and leg and I smiled softly at him. He kisses my head and I put my hand on his chest and I took a deep breath.

For once, we both were happy being together. As much as we missed our kids, being with him and him with me pushed our kids to the side and spent so much time together, focused on one thing. Pleasure.

The moans and cries in pleasure were endless during this short but sweet trip. The bruises found were increasing everyday and eventually, we had to go back.

Our last day here was long. We had the whole day with each other. We did a tour of Los Angeles, ate at a fabulous restaurant, and we brought some souvenirs.

[ I will have what they did during their anniversary put into an outtake since it's about 3000 extra words and there's so much more to this chapter than that.. ]

* * *

**|| Date: August 23, 2011 || Time: 4:45 AM ||**

* * *

Once we arrived home after catching a later plane, both Edward and I began to unpack our stuff. I wasn't so tired because I fell asleep before we left, so Edward and I stayed awake in each others arms.

He told me that he was going to go for the interview on Monday, and since today was Saturday, we could relax. I asked him a little more about his job, information he would know of course. He said the hours are from 8 o'clock in the morning until about 4 o'clock in the afternoon. I'm okay with the hours, but he reminded me he might come home exhausted since it is going to be a preschool and pre-kindergarten class he'll be assisting.

"Of course you will be tired.. I would expect you to be tired.. I just hope you get the job since you seem so determined." He smiled at me and we shared a sweet and passionate kiss.

* * *

**|| Time: 12:00 PM ||**

* * *

On our way to pick up Evelyn from Rose's apartment, I noticed that it began to rain and rain put me in deep thought. I could remember what Michael and Karen told us. About someone being after our Evelyn. I tried to think of someone that would do this, someone evil enough. It could be Todd, but how is he related to the killer? All these questions, and no one knew the answer.

Soon, it seemed life flashed before my eyes when a car came right at us. "HOLY SHIT!" I screamed and Edward swerved out the way and both of us started breathing heavily when he pulled over. I started to cry and Edward held me. We almost died. I couldn't believe what just happened. I was shaking and sobbing in Edward's arms.

Then the phone rang. "Hello?" Edward answered, panic clear in his voice.

"Edward? Was that your car that almost got hit?" I heard the familiar voice.. Jasper?

"Jasper? How did you know?" Edward rubbed my back and looked outside.

"Because that same car almost hit me! And I saw who was in it."

"Who?" Edward tightened his grip on me.

"Todd Biers." I froze and looked at Edward the same time he looked at me. I started to cry again and then Edward kissed my head and I whimpered. Did he really just try to kill us?

* * *

**|| Time: 2:23 PM ||**

* * *

We finally arrived at Rosalie's apartment, hours later. We took a new road and we got lost. I was still shaking, and Edward was still in shock. We sat in silence for a few minutes and then we turned and faced each other.

"Let's.." He swallowed. "Let's go."

I nodded and swallowed too. "Y-yeah.." We got out the car and went inside. He took my hand and I looked at him. He kisses my cheek and I felt my eyes water. "We almost died.."

"Or we almost got seriously injured." He whispered then he hugged me tight. "Thank god we didn't."

"I know.." I whimpered and hugged him back, holding onto him as if my life depended on it. But it almost did.

I couldn't get over what I saw. When Todd first kissed me, and how I kissed back hesitantly, when I met Edward, when I broke up with Todd, or vise versa, whatever, when we got married, when we adopted Evelyn, all these memories flooded in my mind.. I'm a little tired now..

"I'll never let anything happen to you, anything I can stop and I will stop it." He whispered. "Come on, they're probably wondering where we are.. Maybe even a little worried." He pulls away and kisses my cheek. I nodded and we walked to the door and knocked. It took a while and Rosalie opened it.

"It's about damn time you showed up!" Rosalie almost yelled at us. I gave her a look and then her face changed. "Is something wrong? You look like you've been crying?"

"Sorry we're late Rose. Where's Evelyn?" Edward speaks before I can and Rose let us in. The place was cleaner than it was when we first came. Evelyn was on the couch, crying.

"What happened?" I looked at Rose and she shrugged.

"She's been like this for two hours. I tried to read to her, but she wouldn't listen to me. At all." Rose sighs and then looks at me. "But other than that she was a good girl the whole time."

"Good, good." Then I sighed and walked to Evelyn. "Evelyn? Come on, what's wrong?"

She looked at me and she sat up slowly and then wiped her tears. Then she put her arms around me. I hugged her back and kissed her head.

"We almost died today." I say to Rose. Her eyes widened.

"What?"

"Yeah, a car almost drove into us. Jasper saw it and he said it was Todd. So now I'm officially terrified." I felt Evelyn tighten her grip on me. I kissed her cheek and rubbed her back. "I'm here now." I tried to pull away but she pulled me against her tighter. "Evelyn.." I whispered. She let me go and she whimpered. I sat next to her and put my arm around her and I kissed her head. I've never seen her so upset.

"Was she like this when she woke up?" Edward looked at Rose. "I mean, sad like this?"

"A little. She slept in for a while and I would have let her sleep little longer but it was getting late, so I ended up waking her to eat breakfast. Then after breakfast, she sat there for a long time and waited. Then she got really upset and started crying."

"Evelyn, look at me." She looked at me, her eyes watery. "Is this because we took longer than expected?" She nodded slowly. "Aww. I'm sorry sweetheart." She nodded again and a tear fell and she whimpered. Edward and Rose joined us, Rose in front of her, Edward on her right, me on her left, and we all held Evelyn. Then she fell asleep.

* * *

**|| Time: 4:34 PM ||**

* * *

We arrived home with Evelyn after spending a bit at Rose's apartment. Once we got home, Evelyn was awake. Both Edward and I watched her color in her book. While she played, I decided to make dinner tonight, along with dessert.

I started making lasagna and then I heard thunder. It scared me because I didn't know it was gonna rain. Then I accidentally touched the stove. "OH FUCK!" I screamed. I whimpered and put my hand under the cold water.

I heard footsteps and Edward was by my side. "What happened?"

"I burned my hand." I cried and then I pulled it out and he took it. I winced.

"Damn, Bella." He examined my hand and then he kissed it. "Come, lets get your hand checked."

I hated the hospital. I hated emergency rooms. And I hate, with a passion, these freaking burns. Evelyn was a little confused, but she stayed calm. I got ointment and a bandage for my hand. Soon, we bumped into Allistari.

"Hey strangers." She looks at me. "What happened?"

"Burned my hand.. The thunder scared me." I admit.

"Oh, you're son is getting better. I can let you see him, but through the window only." She tells me.

"We can see Luke?" I felt a smile on my face. I haven't seen my little boy since my last ultrasound. Even when he was born, they took him away before I could lift my head.

"Yeah, come with me." We followed her inside. We stood by the window and I could see a tiny body in the incubator. Wires and wires, but through the wires was a small body that was my son. My son. That sounds nice.. I looked at Edward and he looked at me. He put his arm around me and I did the same, and I put my head on his chest and we both stared in awe. He was perfect. And he was ours.

* * *

**|| Time: 8:53 PM ||**

* * *

"Evelyn, time for your bath." I walked to her room and she was combing her doll's hair. She looked at me and then stood up and walked to me. She almost fell and I caught her. She giggled and I smiled. "You okay there?" I kissed her head and she nodded. "Come on." She walked with me to the bathroom and we walked in. "Alright, let me get your bath ready. You, undress, okay?" She nodded and I turned around and filled the bathtub with warm water. I turn and Evelyn looks at me. "Bubbles?" She shook her head. "Alright." Come, let me put your hair in a bun." She walked to me and sat on my lap. I took the scrunchie and fixed her hair. Then I let her get in.

* * *

**|| Time: 9:30 PM ||**

* * *

"You're all pruny!" I took her hands and pointed out all the little wrinkles on her finger tips. Evelyn smiled and I kissed her palm. "Alright, lets get out now." I took her out and dried her off. "You're such a good girl." She smiled wider and then clapped. "Sit, sit." I dried behind her ears and took the bun out and her hair falls perfectly to her shoulders. I noticed some bruises on her torso and I ran my fingers on them. She didn't flinch or anything. Instead, she just looked at me and she was only focused on me. "Did you get these from your other foster parents?" She nodded. "Aww, I'm so sorry, love."

She took my hand off of one of the bruises and put her arms out. I hugged her and kissed her head. "I'll never hurt you like that," I tell her softly. She whimpered. "Oh, please don't cry." As I pulled away, I saw marks on her back and my hands were just there. "Oh, sorry, sorry." I pulled away fully and I helped her to her bedroom. I got her dressed in her pajamas and I put her in the bed. She looked at me with sad eyes. "Hey, you wanna sleep with us tonight?" She nodded and I smiled. "Alright, I'll let you play a little more while we get ready for you." She put her arms out and I held her once more. "Alright. I'll be back." I walked out, looking over my shoulder once more. She smiled and then I turned back and walked to my room. Edward, sitting up, head against the headboard, was on his laptop, typing away.

"Hey. What'cha typing?" I asked, sitting on the bed with him.

"Resume." He says, then looks at me and smiles.

"Mm, Evelyn's sleeping in here tonight." I tell him, moving into his arms.

"Mm, alright. That's fine." He looked at me and kissed me. I kissed back and then pulled away and sighed. "What's wrong?"

I looked up at him and hesitated. "There were bruises all over Evelyn.."

"From who?" He saved his file and shut his laptop.

"Her past foster parents. I think we need to talk to Karen and Michael again." I sighed.

"Yeah, we'll ask them tomorrow." He agrees and kisses my head. "Alright, I suppose we can get ready for bed now." And we do. I changed into my favorite polka-dot pajamas and I walked back to Evelyn's room.

"Evelyn," I opened the door and she was putting her toys away. "Hey, time for bed love. We can clean tomorrow." I put my hand out and she looked at me. There was something in the way she looked at me that was off. "Evelyn?" She blinked slowly and stood up slowly. I walked to her and bent down in front of her. "Hey, what's wrong?" She shook her head and then rubbed her eyes. "Just sleepy, right?" She nodded. "Alright." I picked her up and carried her to my bedroom. "Here's our little guest."

Edward turned around and smiled. "Hey you." I put Evelyn down and she waddled to him and both of them laughed and he lifted her up and put her on the bed. I joined them in the bed and we all sat watching some movie on Edward's laptop. Evelyn fell asleep shortly after the movie started, and then Edward and I fell asleep too.

* * *

**|| Date: August 24, 2011 || Time: 7:34 AM ||**

* * *

At the toy store. Last minute present. I forgot. Yesterday was Jonah's birthday. And I forgot. Edward and I woke up at the same time, in shock we forgot. I ran up and down the aisle, collecting anything that would please him, and I checked them out. After going home and wrapping them, I got the mail. And then, I saw something that made my heart stop.

Thanks for reading. Over 7,000 words... Wow.. Okay, so please review!

~Gabby


	3. Chapter 3

**|| My Love || Chapter 3 || Edward's POV ||**

**|| Date: August 24, 2011 || Time: 8:52 AM ||**

* * *

I stared at the note, the threatening letter, that was left for us. Evelyn was on my right, and Bella was on her left, and we all were silent. Evelyn couldn't read, but she knew it was bad, mainly because no one was smiling nor laughing. My arm was around Evelyn, and Bella's arm was around her too. I couldn't believe what I was reading. By the time I read it for the sixth time, I put it down and Bella started crying. Immediately, Evelyn began to worry.

Normally, I'd tell her everything was okay, but in reality, this was _far_ from okay. I called Anna, Karen, and Michael, along with Rosalie to help distract Evelyn. Once we all arrived, Michael read the note aloud.

"Dear Isabella Cullen," Michael started. Immediately, I felt uncomfortable. "I know you have my target, and I'm watching you. I have all the weapons I need and can attack at any given minute. Just so you know, this isn't some random stranger." Bella moved into my arms and I kissed her head. "The sad thing about this all is that you helped me in my plan to kill Evelyn Ravenna Dawning, or Cullen, however you wanna say it." I clenched my fists and Bella rubbed my arm, which made me unclench them. "It was my father who killed her family, but because of her.. beauty.. he could not finish the job. My father was a little pedophile-ish as you can see... And now, I am ready to finish his job and avenge him. Just watch your back, because when I attack, there will be blood."

Karen took the note and immediately looked at the bottom of it. "Oh no.."

"What? Who's it from?" Rosalie asked, eyes widening. Evelyn was on her lap now, playing with her necklace and she even looked.

"Todd Biers.." Karen took a deep breath. "Crap, crap, _crap.._"

"What's wrong, Karen? Do you know him too?" I asked, worried.

She nodded and then stood up. "Todd.. I know his mother.. His mother.."

"Karen.. you're killing me here!" Michael stood up. "What about his mother?!"

"Do you remember the nice old lady that helped us yesterday with some paperwork in exchange for buying her a meal?" Michael nodded and Karen continued. "I told her to put them in the filing cabinet and after going to find another file, I noticed one was missing. But now I know that the missing file is Evelyn's."

"What's in the file?" Bella asked, tears falling down her cheeks.

"The files contain important background information. Because the adoption was finalized and the information was updated, we added.. phone numbers, addresses, and most importantly.. names." He looked at us apologetic.

"I am so sorry.. I should have put them back myself.." Karen started to cry.

"It's okay, Karen. You didn't know." Michael says to her, pulling her into a hug and kissing the top of her head.

"But now.. we have to figure something out.." I say, then looking at Evelyn and Bella and back at them.

Evelyn got up and took the envelope off the table and opened it up. She took something out and then gasped. She started shaking.

"Evelyn, what is it?" Bella took the card and she gasped. "This is his father." Bella opened up the small card and then something came out.

"Come here, Evelyn." Rose put her arms out. Evelyn walked into them and whimpered, while Anna and Rose tried to calm her down.

"What does it say?" I asked. Karen and Michael were right by us, looking at the note.

"It's.." She gave me the note and she held her head and started sobbing.

I looked at the note and read it out loud. "You're the target, and the prize is vengeance. You're close to your weak spot, and we can attack you at anytime."

"Weak spot?" The phone rang. All of us looked at it and I got up and answered it. "Dad?"

"Son, there's something you should know." His voice was serious.

"Dad, what is it?" I saw Rosalie lift her head, as did Bella. Something told me my body was not ready for the news that I was about to hear.

"Luke," He started.

"What about Luke?" I cut him off, and then I sat down.

"Edward, something happened to Luke last night while Allistari was out.." He still sounded serious, if not serious than a mix of angry and stressed.

"Can you just tell me? We're already going through enough hell today!"

"Luke died last night."

I blinked and stopped breathing. I dropped the phone and I looked at Bella. She looked at me super worried and I picked the phone back up. "How.."

"Someone took his oxygen tubes out and he died in the middle of the night." Dad sounded upset. "Edward, I am so sorry. I went to check on him this morning and his lips were blue, he had no pulse.."

"Dad... Just.." I took a deep breath. "I gotta go.."

"Call me if you need anything." We hung up and everyone looked at me worried.

Oh god, my son is dead. He was dead, and someone killed him. I was just ready to hurt whoever did this to him. To kill that b..

A voice took me out of my thoughts. "Edward? What's wrong?" Bella looks at me more worried, tears forming.

"Bella, I need you to take a deep breath for me right now." She did. "Luke.."

"Edward, don't hold back.." She took my hand, and squeezed it, but I didn't squeeze back.

"Luke died last night." I tell her, feeling a whole bunch of emotions in me. I could feel the tears come out of my eyes.

Bella froze and then stood up. "You're lying to me, aren't you?"

"Bella, I wouldn't joke over something like this!" I stood up too.

She stared at me for a while, and it felt like hours that we held this stare. Then she sat down and started sobbing. "No, no, not my baby, no.."

Evelyn got up and walked to Bella and hugged her. Bella hugged her back and continued crying.

"Edward, we can leave if you want." Rose stood up, but I put my hand out to stop her.

"No, we have a serious problem now. It's murder, and now, Todd is after us. He's not gonna hesitate. He will kill. Even if he has to kill all of us to get to Evelyn."

* * *

**|| Time: 10:32 AM ||**

* * *

It was way to early in the morning for this. We all went to the hospital and Bella and I went to see Luke, one last time. Bella could barely walk on her own, and I walked behind her, just in case she fell to the ground. Carlisle and Allistari looked at us.

"Come on," Allistari says softly, taking us in the room. Luke was lying there, lifeless. I heard Bella whimper and she walked to him slowly. All the wires were detached, and all the lights on the monitors were off.

"Can I please hold him?" Bella whispered. Allistari nodded and she put her hands gently under him and picked him up so carefully, then looked at me and back at him and sniffled. "I'm so sorry, Luke.. You deserved none of this.." She kissed his head.

"We'll leave you two alone for a little bit." Allistari and Carlisle walked out the room. Bella sat in the rocking chair and put him on her chest, skin to skin.

"Edward, can you sit with us too?" she whispered. I sat next to her and took Luke's little hand. He was so cold. Bella touched his head softly and started singing to him. She touched his back and rubbed it, her thumb rubbing in circles. Then both of us were silent. I felt something, and I looked at Bella at the same time she did. Then, there was soft coughing. Bella looked at Luke at the same time I did. He opened his eyes, and I felt everything light up. Bella gasped and kissing his head.

"Luke," I whispered. "You're alive.." Luke looked like he was struggling and he wrapped his hand around my finger, lightly.

"Edward, go get them.." she whispered and she looked at me. "Hurry."

I got up and rushed out the room. "ALLISTARI! DAD!" They both looked at me and ran towards me. We all went into the room and my little boy was moving in Bella's arms.

"A miracle.." Dad says softly.

"Amazing.." Allistari whispered. She walked out the room for a second and came back with a machine. "Bella, I need to hook this up and then you can hold him again. Okay?"

Bella looked at her and nodded slowly. She kissed Luke's head and handed Luke to Allistari. There was a soft whimper and Dad pat my back. I watched Allistari insert the breathing tubes and she passed him back to Bella. Bella looked at me and smiled.

"He's so perfect.." she whispered. I sat back down with her and we both watched Luke. He kept his eyes on Bella and sometimes glanced at me.

"This is amazing." I whispered. Luke opened his mouth and he began to coo, so quietly. Bella and I watched him and he reached out to me. Bella looks at me.

"Your turn." I smiled and she put him in my arms carefully.

He looked at me and his eyes widened. I put my finger on his hand and he grabbed it, a little stronger than before. I smiled and the realization hit me. I am holding _my son_. I watched him let go of my finger and I watched him move around. He was kicking his legs and stretching his arms. Then he leaned into me and yawned. "Someone's sleepy." I whispered.

"Do you have a blanket or something to keep him warm?"

Allistari walked to a small cabinet and took out a blue blanket. "Wrap this around him, but not too tight." I did as she told me and then she smiled. "Call us when you're done." They walked out and we both looked at Luke again. He was blinking slower and yawning way more. I heard him cough and then he looked at us and both of us smiled.

"Go to sleep, little man." Bella whispered and touched his cheek. Both of us watched him close his eyes and he fell asleep. I could feel his heartbeat strong against my chest.

* * *

**|| Time: 1:35 PM ||**

* * *

Soon, we were in dad's office, about to talk about everything, with Todd, with Evelyn, and Luke.

"If Luke's condition keeps improving, he'll be home by the end of September, maybe a little earlier." Allistari says with a small smile.

"And if Todd keeps his dirty hands off of him." I muttered.

"Don't worry. We have 'do not let in' signs posted and his name was on the top of the list. It wasn't just your child you know. There were four others children with the name Luke, he just had to figure out which one was Cullen." Allistari shrugged. "I mean, this kid is stupid.."

"I'm pressing charges if he touches any of my family members again." I say, angry.

"Of course." Allistari's pager went off and she almost fell. "Oh god, for a second, I thought it said something else." She smiled. "Alright. Good luck guys!" She walked away.

"Crazy woman.." I shook my head.

* * *

**|| Time: 4:30 PM ||**

* * *

We all ate at the diner today. Bella was leery as we left the hospital, but Carlisle reassured her many times Luke will be alright and he'll call when Luke wakes again. At the diner, Karen, Michael, Anna, Bella, Rosalie, Evelyn, and I all sat at one table. We all fit, surprisingly. After getting halfway through the meal, I got a phone call.

"Edward," It was dad.

"Dad," I got up from the table and walked by the door. "How's Luke?"

"He just woke up, but he's distant. Maybe you and Bella could come soon and cheer him up."

"Sure, after dinner." I tell him, a little happier.

"Great." We hung up and I went back to the table.

"Everything okay?" Bella looked at me. I nodded and put my arm back around her.

"Luke woke up, and Carlisle says we need to see him soon to cheer him up a bit."

* * *

**|| Time: 6:46 PM ||**

* * *

Back home, Bella and I decided we should leave now. Evelyn wasn't taking that so well. Halfway out the door, she attacked us and started crying, begging us to stay.

"Evelyn, we'll be right back. Calm down, love.." Bella and I were trying to go to the hospital, but Evelyn was sobbing and grabbing us. Rose and Anna tried to keep her back, but she kept pushing them away.

"Evelyn, come on sweetheart. There's a movie on." Anna says, trying to take Evelyn inside.

Then she screamed so loud. Bella and I gave her a look.

"Evelyn Ravenna Cullen, you do not scream at anyone like that!" Bella stood in front of her. "This is something important your daddy and I have to do. You can't come with us. Stop trying to fight Anna and Aunt Rose." Evelyn whimpered and started crying and ran inside. Bella sighed and shook her head. "I hate to do it to her, but something had to be done.."

"She'll have a sore throat in the morning for sure.." Rose looked at us. "Go, we'll take care of her."

"Thank you." Bella whispered and turned around. I nodded at them and they walked inside. Bella and I got into the car and Bella started crying.

"Bella, it's alright. Calm down.." I pulled her into a hug and kissed her head. She whimpered and hugged me tight. I rubbed her back.

"I don't wanna be a bad mom, Edward.."

"You're not a bad mother, Bella." I pulled away and held her cheeks in my hands. "You're an amazing mom. You always seem to know what's best for Evelyn, and I'm sure she loves you for that. But sometimes, as parents, we have to be strict, and you were telling Evelyn she couldn't scream. She'll learn from her mistake, and she most likely won't do it again." I let go of her face and she looked at me and I wiped her remaining tears. "Let's go now."

* * *

**|| Time: 7:12 PM ||**

* * *

"Hey dad." I greeted him as we got to the NICU.

"Hello son. Hello Bella. Come in," He let us in and Luke was fidgeting in the incubator. "He's alright, just a little agitated."

Bella and I nodded. "Thanks dad." I say to him and Bella walked to him. She sat in a chair near him and she touched his arm. Luke turned his head to her and he stopped moving so much.

"Just a touch from mom to make someone a little happier." I smiled.

"Yeah," I agreed.

Bella turned around and looked at dad. "Can I hold him?"

"Of course." He walked over and placed Luke in her arms.

"Hello, little guy." Luke reached up and touched Bella's chin and brought his arm back down. Bella smiled. "He's getting stronger."

"Yes he is." Dad agreed. "He's improved so much, and in such little time."

She smiled and I smiled too. Luke looked at me and put his arm out. "Daddy's turn." Bella giggled. I chuckled and sat in a chair and Bella passed Luke to me.

"Hey buddy." I smiled widely at my son. He widened his eyes and he stared at me. I stared back and then he put his hand up. I put my finger in his hand and he grabbed it. Strong boy. "You're gonna be just as strong as daddy, aren't you?" He kicked his legs softly and I kissed his head. "Thank god you're alive." I whispered to him.

* * *

**|| Time: 9:34 PM ||**

* * *

Leaving the hospital with a smile is exactly what we were doing. Bella and I were driving home when Dad called me.

"Dad? Something wrong?" I asked, pulling over.

"No, but I have an idea to watch Luke while he's asleep or when no one's in the room. FaceTime."

"Ahh, FaceTime." He said he would leave a phone on FaceTime hidden in Luke's incubator so we'd be watching him always. Bella and I agreed on the idea.

We got home and we walked in. Evelyn was on the couch, staring at the TV. Anna and Rose were next to her and they all turned around.

"Hey you two." Anna smiled. "About time you got home."

"Yeah, sorry about that." Evelyn turned around again and Rose looked at her.

"Go get it, Evelyn." She shook her head. "Please? It would make them really happy." She sighed and walked away.

Bella smiled. "Thank you guys for dealing with her."

"It wasn't easy. I'm gonna have to take medicine today for sure." Anna then smiled. "But she when she was calm, Rosalie and I were able to get her to answer some questions."

Evelyn came back and then walked to me. I bent down and she gave me a hug and I squeezed her. She pulled away and took out a small drawing. I smiled.

"This is really nice, Evelyn." I pat her head. She smiled and then she turned to Bella. Bella bent down to her.

"I didn't mean to yell at you earlier, baby. You're still a good girl, you know that?" She pat Evelyn's head and Evelyn smiled shyly and threw her arms around her. I smiled, and Bella spun her around.

* * *

**|| Time: 10:34 PM ||**

* * *

Evelyn once again slept in our bed. We always let her, so this wasn't such a big problem. Bella played with Evelyn's hair while we read her a book to put her to sleep. We also had music playing to help her, and it calms us both. Evelyn was holding her stuffed animal, Brooke, and her head was on my arm while I read it to her. She loved books, and this one was just brand new book.

After she fell asleep, I put the book aside and both of us left kisses on her head. I looked at Bella, and she was still looking at Evelyn.

"I hope she forgives me.." Bella says quietly, then her eyes met mine. "You think she did?"

"Yeah, but she'll be upset when she wakes up with a sore throat." I say, then I sighed. "At least we know her voice is okay.."

"Yeah, she's got a powerful scream too." She smiles slightly. "So when she's in trouble, she'll be able to scream loud enough."

"Yeah. So I guess it's a good thing." I sighed.

"Are you ready for tomorrow?" Bella asks. I looked at her.

"Oh yeah, I'm ready. You think you can handle her tomorrow?" I asked with a crooked smile.

She blushed and nodded. "Yea.."

* * *

**|| Date: August 25, 2011 || Time: 8:56 AM ||**

* * *

I put a brush through my hair and fixed her tie. I heard a giggle from behind me and I looked at Bella. "Got my tie?" I turned around and she walked to me with my lucky tie in her hand. "Thank you, love." I smiled. She smiled too and put my tie on.

"You look very handsome.." She complimented and then she leaned up and kissed my cheek. I pulled her close to me and left a small kiss on her lips. She kissed back and I pulled away and kissed her neck. She wrapped her arms around mine and she gasped. I pulled away and smirked.

"I'll see you soon, alright?" She bit her lip and nodded. "I love you."

"I love you too." She kissed my cheek once again and looked at Evelyn who was still asleep. "You better get going."

I walked to Evelyn and kissed her head and left the house. I drove over to the school and met with the principal inside. But first, I had to confirm my appointment with the secretary.

"So, Mr. Cullen, is that correct?" Her name was Jessica Stanley. "Your name is _very _familiar.." She made a face. "Anyways, I'm Jessica. You know, you're, like, the only person who applied this year. Every other year, there are like tons of people who apply." She stared at me for a while. "Sorry, you just look very familiar.." I could tell she was nervous, especially when I look this great. Ha, wait until Bella hears this. "Anyways, he'll be here soon. He has a meeting with a parent."

"Sure." I sat down and looked around. The office was small, but it was very well structured. After a while, a tall man came out, and a lady walked out after him, and then he walked to me. "Edward Cullen?"

"Yes." We shook hands and I followed him into the office.

"I see you've met Ms. Stanley.. Don't worry about her. She flirts with all the men. Anyway, I'm Stefan Roman. Principal of this _establishment,_" he sighs. "I'm probably gonna retire soon anyways.." He looks at me. "So, tell me about yourself."

"Well there isn't much to know.." I start. "I have a wife and two beautiful children, one who we adopted recently, and another my wife just gave birth to.."

"Did you have a job prior to applying for this one?" He asked.

"No.. My wife and I were focused on other members of our family who were sick and needed help."

"And what made you want to start to work here?" He was taking note of this...

"After we adopted our daughter, I needed a new way of making money –"

"How did you make money before?"

"Inheritance." I say, then continue. "And then my son who was born a few days after the adoption finalization had been put in the NICU and I had to figure out some way to pay for everyone, and to pay the bills." I answered.

"Mmhmm.. And does your wife have a job?" I shook my head. "Alright." He asked a few more questions, looked over my resume and nodded. "I will contact you when I make a decision."

* * *

**|| Time: 11:23 AM ||**

* * *

I got into the car and called my wife to make sure she, and Evelyn, were okay and to ask if they needed anything. I waited a little bit and finally got an answer.

"Hello?" Bella sounded upset.

"Hey." I reply and I started the car. "It's done."

"Oh really? That's great. How did it go?" She perked up a bit and I could tell just by hearing her voice she was smiling.

"It went great. Do you need anything?" I looked around and put my hand on the steering wheel.

"Yeah, some Tylenol. Evelyn's not feeling too good."

"Alright, anything else?" I started driving the car, but slowly.

"Yeah, just get some cookies. Any kind." she sighs. "And that's all. Hurry home, love."

"I will, angel." We hung up and I drove to the Pharmacy and picked up some medicine for my daughter. No wonder she was asleep for such a long time. I picked up some chocolate chip cookies and drove back home. I walked inside and went upstairs. Bella was laying down next to Evelyn, and Evelyn was looking at her and they looked at me when I entered the room.

"Hey." Bella smiled at me. "Look, daddy brought your medicine." Evelyn looked and smiled weakly. I could see how sick she was.

"Hey." I sat on the bed and took the medicine out the bag. "Is she running a fever or.."

"She said her head and stomach hurt." Bella sat up and helped Evelyn sit up. "Just for a few minutes, okay sweetheart?" Evelyn nodded and I opened the box. "Just half a cup." I read the back and then I poured it in the cup and gave it to her. She took it and drank it all and then gave it back and laid down again. Bella kissed her head.

"So, do you think you for the job?" Bella asked, then I nodded and she smiled. "Yay." She giggled and I laughed at her enthusiasm.

* * *

**|| Time: 1:45 PM ||**

* * *

I pat Evelyn's back while we all sat on the porch and talked. She seemed to love the outdoors too, and I know Bella does.

"So, Evelyn, how do you feel now?" Bella asked, looking at Evelyn. She shrugged and then put her head on my chest. I rubbed her back and she sighed.

"It'll be alright, little one." I tell her and then rub her back.

* * *

**|| Date: September 12, 2011 || Time: 6:54 AM ||**

* * *

"Alright, I'll be home soon." I whispered to my love. I was heading off to my first day of work. Bella was sad to see me go, and I hated leaving her. She got on her tippy toes and kissed me softly. I kissed her back, placing my hands on her lower back and brought her closer. After we pulled away, I placed a small kiss on her lips once more and sighed. "I wish I could do that everyday." I say softly.

Bella smiled and hugged me. "Good luck." And after exchanging our goodbyes, I left.

Driving there was okay, but the rain didn't help. I arrived to work on time, and met up with some of the other teachers at this school. The preschoolers is who I will be helping today.

The main teacher of the classroom was named Mrs. Carmen Denali, but the kids called her Carmen, or sometimes they'd mess up and say Caramel, but she didn't mind. Before the children arrived, she told me about how much she loved her life. She had a husband and two boys at home, and she lived with her loving mother.

"So, what's your life like? Got any kids of your own?" She looked at me with a smile.

"Yeah, I got a beautiful wife at home, and my two children, Evelyn is four and my son Luke is two months old." I didn't mention he was in the NICU because it didn't seem important. "And my life never has a dull moment."

"Ha, I understand what you mean.. My son broke his leg last month and I swear, my life was just way too busy.." She laughed, but that's totally not what I meant. I cracked a smile. "Does your daughter go to school?" She asked out of the blue.

"No, she's got a private tutor.." And by tutor, I meant therapist.

"So you're rich?" I shrugged.

"Not rich, but 'wealthy..' My father is a doctor, and that's where we get most of our money from." I tell her and then we heard the bus.

"Oh, here they come. Since it's raining, I'm sure they'll be wet, or soaking wet." She sighed. "Wish it didn't rain today, out of all days."

"I agree." Then the children started flooding to the room with a teenage escort.

All the kids were adorable. Some of them were nervous, and others were with their parents, clinging to their legs. I still wasn't nervous. Carmen and I greeted them all, and told them all to sit on the rug. They do, well most of them do.

Once all the kids, or what we assume was all the kids, we started class.

"Good morning, kids. I'm Carmen and this is Edward. We're going to be your teachers for this year."

* * *

**|| Time: 12:32 PM ||**

* * *

Things got hectic before lunch time. The main problem was that there was only one bathroom to use and twenty-eight kids who needed to wash their hands. Some of them were small and even with the stool, they were too small. I had to lift some of them up and let them wash their hands like that.

"Alright, up you go." I picked up tiny Susanne and she giggled and washed her hands. "Don't forget the soap." She pressed the pump and scrubbed her hands. After she finished, I put her down.

"Thank you, Edward!" She squealed and ran off with another girl, Lucy.

After the kids finished their food and cleaned up, they all went off to play. Carmen told me to stay at the table where the kids were coloring while she went off and to watch the others play with the other toys. Two girls and one boy came over and began to color. They were talking to each other about the rain, and then the tiniest girl came over.

"Can I color too?" She asked, in such a tiny voice.

"Okay." The oldest girl at the table, Macy, nodded and continued to color. I handed the tiny girl, I believe her name was Angelina, and she was wearing an Angelina Ballerina outfit. Coincidence? It most likely wasn't.

"Here you go," I handed her some paper and a box of crayons. "Make sure you put them back when you're done."

"Edward?" The little boy, Robert, called my name and I looked at him. "Do you have any kids?"

"I do." I nodded and he smiled.

"How many?"

"Two."

"Oohh." He continued coloring and then he made a face. "I don't like it."

I took a look at it. Just scribbles everywhere, no big deal. "Why not?" I ask him. "It looks nice." I tell him.

"No, momma don't like scribblelies. Can I have anoder paper?" I handed him another sheet. "Thank you." He smiled and continued.

"How old is your kids?" Little Sasha asked, sucking her thumb.

"My daughter turns five soon and my son is only two months." I tell them.

"Wow! Do you think she can be our friend?" Robert got really excited.

"I don't know. I'll ask her." Honestly, I don't know if Evelyn's ever had friends apart from her families. Michael and Karen said she's always been shy and a lot of kids didn't like her, which will concern me when it's time for her to go to school. I guess Bella and I will figure that out when the time comes.

* * *

**|| Time: 4:55 PM ||**

* * *

Finally after that long day at work, I am home. I heard a squeal and saw Evelyn at the top of the stairs. I smiled and walked up the stairs, bringing her into a hug. She giggled and hugged me back. I kissed her head.

"Hey there little one." I say in her ear. She giggled and pulled me into my room where Bella laid on the bed. I pat Evelyn's head and watched her run off and I sat on the bed. "Bella?"

She looked at me and smiled. Immediately, she didn't look good, health wise. "Hi Edward." She says, then she smiled.

"Are you feeling okay?" I asked, putting my hand on her forehead. She was _hot_.

"I'll be okay, Edward." She sat up. "How was work?"

"Good, good. The kids were well behaved actually." I say, then I kissed her head. "I missed you, love."

"I missed you too. I've been sick for a while. I went back to sleep after.. after.." She sneezed. "After you left.. I went back to sleep and Evelyn woke me up and I had a massive headache.." She sneezed again.

"First of all, bless you." She smiled and blushed. "Second of all, I'm sorry. If I knew you were-"

She shook her head. "It's okay. Nothing you need to apologize for." She looked at the door and Evelyn was standing there. "Come in, sweetie."

She smiled and skipped into the room and jumped onto the bed and sat next to us.

I had to wonder, now that Evelyn was ours, what would be next for us all?

* * *

**Thanks for reading! I am SUPER SORRY that the wait was forever. D: Forgive me, okay? XD**

**See you soon! The next chapter's gonna be crazy!**

**Hey, please review and check out the epilogue coming soon (if not posted already!) **

**~Gabby**


	4. Chapter 4

**(Excuse me, I forgot to post this. Please accept my apology.) **

**|| My Love || Chapter 4 || Bella's POV ||**

**|| Date: September 12, 2011 || Time: 6:54 AM ||**

* * *

Today was Edward's first day of work. Words cannot describe how happy I am that he's really doing this. He wasn't just doing this for me, but for our family. I'm going to miss him though. I'm sure Evelyn will too. I walked back into the room to find my handsome husband fixing his outfit. I frowned when he turned around, all ready. But at the same time, I smiled. He looked so handsome, but he's leaving me for a long time.

"Alright, I'll be home soon." He whispered. I took a deep breath and I felt my eyes water. I closed my eyes and got on my tippy-toes to kiss him. He kissed me back and pulled me closer to him, making it more passionate. He pulled away and kissed me again softly. "I wish I could do that everyday."

"Good luck." I whispered. After we told each other goodbye, I wiped a tear away and went to Evelyn's room. She was sound asleep. I walked to her bed and I kissed her cheek and her eyes opened. She's a light sleeper. "Hi honey." I say softly. She yawned and sat up slowly and looked around. "Daddy just went to work. How about I make some breakfast and we can relax?"

She smiled and nodded and yawned again. "Oh, and soon we're going back to see Anna. Is that okay?" She nodded again. "Alright, come on." I got up and helped her off the bed. She was so tiny, it was so cute.. She bit her lip and put her arms up when we got to the stairs. I lifted her up and carried her down the stairs. She kissed my cheek and I smiled at her.

Evelyn is such a joy, and such a wonderful child. She doesn't speak, and she's not normal, but that's the best thing about her. She's gone through so much hell, but finds reasons to smile everyday. I'm so glad that I have her in my life, and I'm so proud of her already. She's opened up to us in a way that makes me feel like she's my own. I love her to death, and I would die to keep her safe and alive.

From what I've learned from her in the past weeks is that she loves the morning. I have yet to find out why, but I know the morning is when she's the most happy time. I also learned that she has the most energy in the afternoon, which is sometimes the best time, and she's tired by sunset. But I love that about her too.

"Evelyn?" I looked at her and she looked up at me. "What do you wanna eat? Waffles? Bacon and eggs?" She shrugged and I looked through a cook book. And then, my head started throbbing. I groaned and held my head. I heard Evelyn gasp and I looked at her. "Umm, why don't we just have cereal now and later.. I'll make us some dinner?" She nodded and I took the box and the milk and poured some cereal for both of us. After we ate, I went upstairs, taking Evelyn with me, and I let he play in her bedroom. After watching her, I left the room to my own and I got into the bed and eventually fell asleep.

When I woke up, Evelyn was shaking me, holding a cup. I picked my up my head and looked, trying to get a clearer view. She was holding water and medicine – the exact medicine for headaches. I sat up and I took the medicine out her hands and the cup and took the two pills. After putting the cup down, Evelyn gave me a worried look.

"Thank you, Evelyn." I whispered to her, and I rubbed my temples. "How did you know which medicine I had to take?" She shrugged and smiled. I moved to the edge of the bed and hugged her. "I love you." I whispered to her, kissing her head. She snuggled in my arms, fitting so perfectly in them. "Alright, I'm going back to sleep because I'm tired. Wake me up when you're hungry." I pulled away and she nodded and I got back under the covers and went back to sleep.

I woke up again, feeling very wrong and weak, but my head was no longer throbbing. It was my Edward this time. "Bella?" His voice was soft, and so calm.

"Edward.." I looked at him and smiled. I was glad he was home now.

"Are you feeling okay?"

To be honest, the only problem I had been the head throbbing. "I'll be okay, Edward." I bit my lip and took his hand. "How was work?"

"Good, good. The kids were well-behaved." He says, then he kissed my head. "I missed you, love."

"I missed you too. I've been sick for a while.. After you left, I attempted to make food but I was too sick and tired and went to sleep."

**|| Time: 6:34 PM ||**

"Evelyn," I called her name. "Come on, dear," I was going to take her to the hospital, with Edward, to see Luke, and to get an update. She ran out her bedroom and I saw her hair was a mess. I walked back up the stairs. "Did you do your hair?" She shook her head, and I smiled. "Alright, go sit on your bed." She waddled to her bed and I sat next to her and started combing her hair. "You have such pretty hair, Evelyn." I tell her, getting a giggle out of her.

After we arrived at the hospital, Carlisle told us about the progress Luke has made, and then he said something that made my mood rise.

"He's actually good enough to go home tomorrow." He smiles.

My birthday gift will be to be home with my little boy. How great is that? I smiled widely and clapped, and Edward kissed my cheek.

"Oh my God, that's great.." I whispered, and I smiled as he took Luke out his small crib. I sat down when he was put into my arms, and I put my finger along his cheek, and he smiled. I smiled too. "He's so precious.." I whispered. "I can't wait for you to come home."

"Do you want me to stay home tomorrow?" Edward asks, whispering.

"No, I'll be okay." I promise him.

|| Date: September 13, 2011 || Time: 6:34 AM ||

"Edward, I'm so tired.." I say, rubbing my eyes. Evelyn was in his arms, half asleep. We were at the hospital, picking Luke up.

"I know.. I am too.." He decided to take a half day instead of taking a day off, and I was happy he was doing that instead. He also told his boss what happened, and he told him to come when he wants. I heard Evelyn moan into his shoulder and she picked up her head and whimpered. "I know, Evelyn. I'm sorry." He says into her ear. She picked her head up and looked around before putting her head back on his shoulder. I walked inside, with the car seat after I signed us in, and we all walked to NICU where Luke was wide awake and kicking his legs. I smiled and walked to him, then picked him up.

"Hi baby," I whispered. "You get to come home today!" I say to him. His eyes sparkled and he smiled at me. I smiled back and I kissed his head. "I love you." I say quietly.

|| Time: 9:23 AM ||

"Evelyn, why don't you come here and help me with your brother?" She walked into the room slowly and hesitated. "Come on," I put my arm out to her. I was watching the news with Luke in my arms. She walked over and sat down carefully. "Luke, this is Evelyn, your big sister." Evelyn looks at Luke and he smiled at her, and she smiled back. "See? Nothing to be afraid of. He likes you." I say, then I kissed her cheek. She smiles and moves closer before taking his hand. His hand was the size of her palm. She looked up at me and her smile widened.

Luke yawned and closed his small blue eyes before drifting to sleep. I kissed his head, and smiled before walking upstairs with him in my arms. I put him in his crib, and put some soft music on before walking back out. Evelyn was still on the couch, and I began to worry. I walked down the stairs and she turned to me and gave me a weak smile.

"What's wrong?" I asked, sitting next to her. Her smile faded and she shook her head. "I don't want you to be sad on my birthday, honey." I sit down and I pulled her onto my lap. She was as light as a feather, I swear. She put her head on my shoulder and wrapped her arms around my neck. I lay back on the couch with my eyes closed and I put my head back. I felt Evelyn moving, but not too much. I sighed, and decided to ask a question. "Honey, do you like cake?" She nodded. "And ice cream?" She nods again. "Mmmkay." I felt her hand touch my cheek and I look at her. She looked at me, blinking slowly, and she smiled. "You're so cute.." I whispered, then I kissed her cheek and she blushed and looked down.

* * *

**|| Time: 2:30 PM ||**

* * *

I was laying down on my bed with Evelyn curled up next to me. Both of us were quiet, normal for her, and then I decided to break the silence.

"You know that your here to stay, Evelyn?" She looks at me, confusion written on her face. I smiled at her reaction. "You're all mine.." I move to face her and I see her smiling. "I will never give you back, and I'll never ever choose anyone else over you. You'll always be my precious little girl." Her eyes watered and my smile widened. "And I love you, so much more than you think I do." A tear fell down her cheek and she wiped it away, then she looks back at me, and I can see all the love in her eyes. I leaned over and kissed her cheek, then I heard the front door open. Evelyn squealed and I smiled, letting her get up. I followed her and carried her down the stairs and we all hugged. "Hi honey."

"Hey angel. Hey birthday girl. I brought you stuff," He says to me. I smiled and pulled away. "But you can't open them yet." He smirks. I crossed my arms against my chest and pretended to pout. He kissed Evelyn's head and then my lips, then there was a cry from upstairs.

"It's the first time he's cried since he got here." I say, then I watched Edward lean over the crib and pick Luke up.

"Hey buddy." He smiles at Luke and kisses his head. Luke immediately stopped crying after hearing him, which made Edward smile. "Oh, and Bella," He turns around. "Rose wants to celebrate later."

I nodded and smiled at Luke. "Hi Luke!" I say to him, then I saw Evelyn leave the room. "I think something's wrong with Evelyn."

"What do you mean?" He asked, making a face.

"She didn't act like herself today.. I'm worried.." I frowned. Luke squeaked and giggled, making me and Edward smile. But my smile faded when I thought about Evelyn frowning. "Maybe she feels sad about her family.."

His smile faded too and he kissed Luke's head. "Maybe.. Doesn't she have another therapy session soon?"

I nodded. "Maybe I'll–" I heard a loud sob erupt from the other room and Edward and I shared worried glances before walking to Evelyn's room. She was sitting on the bed, sobbing. Edward went to put Luke down while I sat next to her and pulled her into my arms, rocking her. "C'mon, breathe with me." I say in her ear. Edward came back in and moved next to her, both of us breathing heavily to help her do the same. Eventually, she started to breathe with us. Once she was calm, I noticed she looked pale, and her eyes seemed empty. "Evelyn?" She looks at me. "Why don't you take a nap now? You don't look so good."

She put her head on my shoulder and shook her head. I grew extremely worried, and then she got up and rushed out the room. Edward and I followed, and she closed the door and I could hear her vomiting in the toilet. I heard Luke beginning to cry too. I ran to the nursery and I saw Luke in the baby swing. I stopped it from moving and held him close to my chest. "Hey, hey.." I whispered. "Please, Luke..." I looked around and saw his pacifier laying on the changing table. I walked over and gave him the pacifier before going downstairs to get a bottle for him. He looks at me, sadness in his eyes, and I felt like crying. Both my kids were sad, which makes me sad. "Luke.." I whimpered. "Don't cry.." I warmed up a bottle of milk for him. I put it in his mouth after removing the pacifier, but he didn't take it. "Luke?" He let out another cry. I sat down on a chair, holding him in my arms, and rocking him.

He was still crying half an hour later, and I grew tired. My head pounded against my temples. I could still hear Edward asking Evelyn to open the door. I could just give up now and put Luke down, but I've waited too long to just leave. I don't know what happened, but the next thing I knew, I was singing to him. I didn't even think I was singing a song, just random notes. Finally, he stopped crying, but tears still fell down his cheeks. I bent down to kiss to head when he moved a little to get closer to me, and I saw him close his eyes when I pressed my lips to his forehead. I wiped the last of his tears and he smiles at me. I giggled and smiled back.

"Bella?" I heard Edward call my name. I got up and quickly went upstairs to the bathroom door. "The spare key," He whispered. "It's under the rug in our room." I gave him Luke and went to get the key. I came back out and I sighed.

"Evelyn? If you're not gonna open the door, I'm gonna come in." I say. I didn't hear her at all, so I unlocked the door. She was sitting on the toilet seat, staring at the ground. "Evelyn, come on." She shook her head, making both Edward and I groan in frustration.

"Evelyn, we don't want you to be sad." Edward says. She still didn't move, except for her feet that moved involuntarily while they hung off the toilet and above the floor. I looked at Edward and he sighs. I sighed too.

"Evelyn, come here, please." I almost pleaded now. "I don't want to see you like this, honey." I whispered that last part. "It hurts me to see you sad because I don't think I'm doing the right thing. I want to see you smile and hear you laugh, honey." Still no response. "Evelyn.." I cried. "Please.. I'm begging you." She still didn't move. I stepped closer, but she shook her head and put her hands out, stopping me. I walked out the bathroom and picked up my phone to call Karen and Michael for help.

* * *

**|| Time: 4:00 PM ||**

* * *

I welcome Karen and Michael in as soon as I opened the door. I lead them upstairs to the bathroom, where Evelyn still sat on the toilet seat, staring at her feet. Karen walked to Evelyn and Evelyn looked up and immediately started to cry again.

"Evelyn, we're not taking you away. We're here to talk to you." Michael says, walking over to them. She nodded and wiped her tears, before looking back down. I couldn't watch anymore, because the fact I had to call her social workers for help, it hurts. I actually thought I was doing a good job at being a mom. But clearly she doesn't feel comfortable around us anymore. I mean, she didn't even want me to touch her! I walked back to the bedroom and sat on the bed. Edward was still with Luke, trying to put him back to sleep.

I waited, half crying in the process. My feet were on the rug, the one that held a spare key to the bathroom and other rooms in the house, and my hands were on my lap, occasionally on my face when I wiped my tears away, or cried silently. Finally, after what seemed like a long time of waiting, I saw Karen come out the bathroom and walk towards me. I met her halfway.

"Okay, this is exactly what's going on, and it took us a long time to guess this. Evelyn's upset because she doesn't know how to express her feelings towards you and Edward. She wishes that she could just say things to you. Then, when you called us, she thought she was being taken away. She loves being here, and I don't think anything or anyone could give her more love and care than you and Edward already give her. She just needs time, and healing, since her vocal chords are still damaged, and she's just not ready for it. This is the longest she's been with a family since her family's death." I nodded and she continued. "So maybe, for now, it's best you give her some space and let her come to you instead of going to her. I understand if you have plans tonight, since it is your birthday, but right now, just let her wander around. She also wants to do more things with you and Edward, to fill the hole in her heart. She used to have a big family, about eight or nine people before their death and she never really got that connection with her family." She says, then she sighs. "I'll also make sure Anna gets notified, and I'll be sure to check her last doctor's appointment notes to find out when her vocal chords will get healed." She turns around and sees Michael come out the bathroom too. "Anymore questions?"

"How did you guys.. talk to her? I mean, is it just because she's known you guys all her life or is it something else?" I was genuinely curious.

"Well it could just be because we're the only ones who haven't left her alone. We've always been there for her." The way Michael said it sounded harsh. Then he made a face. "I mean, this is the longest she's been in another person's care besides ours. She's already warmed up to you guys, she's just scared."

I nodded. "Is she still in there?" I asked. He nodded and I nodded too. "Alright. I want her to change into her outfit for later tonight..."

"You should just leave the clothes by her, let her know she has to change, and just leave." Karen shrugs, then I nodded. "Alright, we'll leave you to it."

"Thank you, guys. So much."

"No problem, Bella. We're always there for her, so just give us a call if you need anything else." Michael says.

* * *

**|| Time: 5:30 PM ||**

* * *

I gathered the clothes that Evelyn needed to wear later tonight and I walked to the bathroom where she still sat on the toilet seat. "Evelyn, I'm leaving these clothes for you to change in, alright?" I put the clothes on the counter next to the sink. "You should also brush your teeth." I tell her again, then I walked out the bathroom and walked to the nursery where Luke and Edward were sleeping. I smiled, seeing them both.

* * *

**|| Time: 7:32 PM ||**

* * *

I was applying make-up when I heard tiny footsteps and a knock on the door. I turned to see Evelyn standing there. Her eyes were red, her cheeks were just as red, and her skin was still pale. I put the make-up down and noticed she was dressed in her outfit for tonight. We stared at each other for a while and then she walked to me and put her arms out. I bent down and picked her up, holding her as tight as I could. After holding her for a while, I put her back down and I kissed her face multiple times. She giggles after I finished kissing her, and that brought a smile on my face.

"I love you, so much, Evelyn." I sat down, and she stood in front of me. "You know that don't you?" She nodded slowly. "Don't you ever do that to me again.. You don't know how awful I felt." She nodded again and looked down. "Come here." I brought her into another hug and she kissed my cheek and hid her face in my ear. I rubbed her back and then she cooed in my ear, resting on my shoulder. I pulled her onto my lap, then she pulled away.

"Sorry," She mouths to me. I smiled, feeling my eyes water, and hugged her again. I know that time she tried so hard to say something to me, but that also proves she's not fully healed. I pulled away and I smiled at her.

"I'm always gonna forgive you, honey." She smiles, and my heart warmed and melted. "Alright, let me finish getting ready to go. Daddy's downstairs if you wanna go see him." She walked away and I continued applying make-up. After finishing my eyeliner, I go back downstairs. Edward's putting Luke in his car seat, and Evelyn's putting on her shoes. I walked to Evelyn and she smiles at me.

"Do you want me to tie them?" I asked her. She nodded quickly and I moved so I could tie her shoes. After we were all ready, we left.

* * *

**|| Time: 8:30 PM ||**

* * *

After blowing out the candles and opening my presents, which were mostly scratch-offs, money, and gift cards, we all decided to relax and just talk. I was watching Evelyn and Jonah carefully, because from what happened earlier, Evelyn and Jonah's relationship went down and so did Evelyn's comfort level.

* * *

**|| Time: 7:34 PM ||**

* * *

I was eating some cake and watching Evelyn and Jonah. Both of them were eating cookies. Most of the adults were in the other room.

"How come Evelyn doesn't talk?" Jonah asked, looking at me.

"Her throat hurts, that's all." I lied to him, not really wanting to explain to him the details.

"Oh, but can't she still talk? It's kinda weird that she can't..." He looks at her and she makes a face to me. Then he touched her neck, making her flinch. "Somethin' on your neck."

She covered her neck and when he tried to touch her again, her hand grabbed his and she pushed him away.

"Okay Jonah, she doesn't want you touching her, so stop!" I saw Evelyn get up and run to my side, and she hid in my arms.

* * *

**|| Time: 7:45 PM ||**

* * *

I felt Edward by my side and I looked at him and smiled. "How's your birthday so far, love?" I leaned on his shoulder and sighed.

"Amazing.." I whispered. I felt him kiss my nose after I closed my eyes, and smiled. "I'm having a lot of fun." He kissed my head.

"You still have to open the gifts from me," he whispers, which made me crazy. I giggled and he planted a kiss on my lips. His soft lips on mine felt wonderful, and they were warm against my cold ones. There was a loud cry, and both of us pulled away knowing who's cry it was all too well.

"Evelyn?" I asked, looking for her. Rosalie came out a room with her in her arms.

"Jonah kept poking her and I guess she got uncomfortable." She put her down and she ran into our arms. She was holding her neck when we pulled her into the space between us. She started to calm down soon enough.

"Does it hurt, Evelyn?" She nodded. "Okay, okay, don't worry." I kissed her cheek at the same time Edward did, and she smiled and blushed.

* * *

**|| Time: 9:45 PM ||**

* * *

"Luke and Evelyn are sleeping," I tell Edward as he pulled into the driveway of our house. He looked behind us as he put the car into park and he smiled. Both us brought in our sleeping children and put them to sleep. I put Evelyn into her pajamas and kissed her head before tucking her in. I saw the mark on her neck, and it looked like a healing bruise. I kissed Evelyn's nose and I go to Luke's room, kissed him goodnight, then went to my bedroom where Edward had presents waiting for me. I smiled and went into the bed. I sat in his lap and kissed his cheek then I undid the bow on the first present. I felt him run his hand up and down my thigh, which made me smile.

"Oh, it's so pretty.." I looked at the sparkling diamond necklace. I looked at him and smiled. "Thank you, honey. I love it!"

"Good." He took it out of my hand and he put it on me. I felt so warm with his hands connecting the chains on the necklace to secure it. I looked at him and he kissed my neck, making me moan softly. "I think we deserve to get some relaxing time, huh?" I giggled and he grabbed the next present. I tore off the wrapping paper and squealed.

"A tablet!" It was small, and it was perfect. I turned to him and I hug it against my chest.

"Save it 'till the end, love." I turned around and opened up the next gift. It was a beautiful pair of earrings, with real gold. I felt my eyes water as I picked up the last present. I felt him wrap his arms around me and bury his face in my neck. I let the tears fall as I opened the last gift. A large smile appears on my face when I see the small box inside. My lip quivered and I picked up the small object.

"Edward..." I cried. "It's perfect.."

"Evelyn picked it out, and I got it customized just for you. It's from both of us, and Luke. To the best woman in the whole entire world." He whispers to me. I turned around and pushed my lips on his. He kissed me back and I pushed him onto the bed, then put all my presents back in their boxes and moved them before attacking him again, and I made love to the man I loved.

* * *

The next three chapters will be crazy!"  
~Gabby


	5. Chapter 5

**|| My Love || Chapter 5 || Edward's POV ||**

**|| Date: September 14, 2011 || Time: 12:23 PM ||**

**Language Warning.**

* * *

I couldn't stop thinking about Bella at work. I was watching the kids who were playing in the ball pit when Carmen came into the room with a bunch of papers.

"Edward, I need you to put these in the kids' mailboxes so when their parents come they can take this home with them." She says with a soft smile. I nodded and walked to the small mailboxes and put the papers in each mailbox. I felt my phone vibrate, and I took a peak at the caller ID. "Bella?" I asked after answering.

"Hi Edward.." I heard Bella say. "I can't get Luke to calm down.." She says, almost sad. "What should I do?"

"I don't know, Bella.. Did you try singing to him?" I ask after putting away the last few papers.

She stayed quiet. "I'll try that.." She sighed. "I lied.. I just wanted to hear your voice again.. I miss you." She said, sounding really sad.

"I miss you too.. I can't stop thinking about you.." I say, then I groaned. "Alright, I gotta go, love."

"Okay.. I love you." She sniffles.

"I love you too, honey." I hang up and rubbed my face.

It was a long day at work. But after most of the kids left, Carmen and I were getting ready to leave.

"The kids are going on a field trip to the fire station. That's what the papers were about. They're gonna learn about what to do when there's a fire, and we needed volunteers and helpers. That's all. It won't affect our time schedule, but you'll have to get here much earlier to prepare for the trip. No matter how early I get here, I can never finish before the little ones arrive."

Hmm.. "When's the trip?" I asked, putting on my jacket.

"Next Thursday. The kids will be excited when it's time to go. It gets really crazy the day of the trip. And this time, it's the whole school going." She sighed. "They're having some crazy obstacle course for the kids to prepare in any even there's a fire.." She rolled her eyes and she grabbed her bag.

* * *

**|| Time: 4:30 PM ||**

* * *

I got home and opened the door, looking around. It was dark and kinda cold, even considering the weather outside. I turned on the light and walked to the thermometer. It was off, which is weird. I turned it back on and went upstairs after taking off my coat. Once I got upstairs, I saw Evelyn asleep in her bed. I kissed her head, and she moved a little and looked at me, her green eyes staring at mine. She smiled at me, and I smiled back. I noticed she was snuggled up in the bed, layers of blankets wrapped around her.

"Hey, little one," Her nickname from me was little one, because comparing her height to mine, I was a giant to her. And she was tiny, not just to me, but to many others. But she likes it when I call her that, so I'll keep calling her that. She sat up and yawned. "Did you eat yet?" She shook her head and I nodded. "Alright. I'll be back." She nods again and I get up and walk out the room, to Luke's room. I opened the door and saw him in his crib, sleeping, or just resting. I walked to him and kissed his head, he moved too.

"Hey buddy." He looks at me, and a small smile appears on his face, and the pacifier in his mouth came out. I noticed his eyes were brown, just like Bella's, but a little lighter. I smiled at him too, he was an amazing little kid. I wiped his bottom lip and he cooed. "Have you been asleep all day?" I kissed his head once more and picked him up. He was much heavier than when we first held him, which means he's gaining weight. In this case, weight gain is better than weight loss. I put my finger in his hand and he squeezed it. He was strong too. I pulled my finger away and I put him in his baby swing before turning it on. He yawned and I walked out the room to see Bella. I opened the door and saw Bella sitting on her side of the bed, staring at the wall. "Bella?"

She turned to me, and I could almost see her eyes water. "Edward," She got off the bed and I pulled her into a hug. She put her head on my shoulder and sighed. "Thank God.. I missed you so much..." I kissed her lips softly and she kisses back, then she pulls away and smiles.

"Hey beautiful." I smiled when she blushed. I put my hand on her cheek and she put her hand on mine. Both of us stared at each other for a while, and then there was a cry from the other room. Both of us laugh a little and we walked over to the door before stopping.

Evelyn was sitting in front of the baby swing, her hands and Luke's hands together. Evelyn was smiling and Luke was giggling. But Luke wasn't crying anymore, and Evelyn seemed happier than before. Bella put her head on my chest, along with her hand, and I wrapped my arm around her waist while we watched. I could see both of them really connect, not just as friends, but as brother and sister. Evelyn smiled when he was relaxed and she kissed his cheek and stood up. She turned to us and I saw her blush and she covered her face.

"Thank you, Evelyn." Bella smiles and walks into the room. "He seems fine now. Maybe he was just lonely." She walks over to Luke who was smiling.

I pat Evelyn's head and kissed her head. She smiled and clapped. "Good job, little one."

Bella picked Luke up and kissed his nose. He giggles, and then all of us start to smile and laugh too.

* * *

**|| Time: 8:34 PM ||**

* * *

Evelyn was relaxing on the couch in my arms while Bella was bouncing Luke in her lap and tickling him. All of us were quiet, especially Bella. Evelyn's head was on my shoulder, and her thumb was in her mouth.

"One day," I broke the silence, because it got really boring really fast. "We should all go on vacation somewhere.. Like maybe Isle Esme.."

"Mmm, that's a great idea. Maybe when Luke's a little older, and when we're in a better spot.. I mean, with all that's going on with the threats, maybe it's better we don't leave yet, you know?" she suggests and shrugged her shoulders.

"Yeah, that's a good idea.. At least when Luke's a year or two old." I heard Evelyn sigh in my arms. I looked down at her and she looked at me. "Do you like that idea, little one?" She nodded and smiled.

"Maybe this summer. Luke will be a year, and hopefully Evelyn will be safe from any harm by then." Bella says, then she sighs.

* * *

**|| Time: 10:30 PM ||**

* * *

Bella and I were lying in the bed, and I was falling asleep. I could tell something was on Bella's mind. I was extremely curious, and then she spoke.

"I wanna go to the Dominican Republic with Evelyn. I want her to visit the graveyard where her family was buried. I know she's never seen it, because she was too young to understand what it meant." She looks at me, and she put her hand on my chest. "I wanna take her, just you, me, and Evelyn. I think she should get some time to be with just us. This would be a time for her, not for a family affair. You know?"

"I agree.. I think it's time for her to see where her parents, siblings, and the rest of her family have been left.. We should start teaching her that they're in a better place, and that they're always watching over her." I sighed. "I can't help but feel awful that all of these things happened to her."

"I do too.. Sometimes when she cries, when you're not here, I cry too. I wish I knew what she was feeling.. And how it was really affecting her.." I kissed her head and she sighed. "Well you got work tomorrow, so get some rest."

"Yeah.." I sighed. "I love you, Bella."

She smiled softly and snuggled into my arms. "I love you too, Edward." She sighs, and I can hear her breathing steady as she fell asleep.

* * *

**|| Date: September 21, 2011 || Time: 6:02 AM ||**

* * *

"Here, Edward." Bella gave me a bag. "A cheese and ham sandwich with bacon, a soda, cookies, brownies, and a few other things I think you'll need." She looks at me, her eyes watering. "I feel like something bad's gonna happen today." She hugged me, and I hugged her back, giving her tons of kisses. I heard footsteps and sniffling, which made me turn around. I saw Evelyn rubbing her eyes as she walked to us, crying.

"Hey, it's alright.." I bent down and hugged her. She hugged me tightly, and I kissed her cheek. Bella bent down to us too, and we all stayed together. I heard Bella sniffling too, and I realized the time.

"I have to go.." I look at Evelyn and kiss her cheek once more. She kisses mine and runs back upstairs, still crying. "I'll be home as soon as I can." I kissed Bella and she kissed back, and pulled away. I put my stuff in a small bag and I waved goodbye before driving to work. On my way, I realized I left my cell phone at home. Hopefully, I won't really need it.

* * *

**|| Time: 10:45 AM ||**

* * *

"You know that feeling that something bad is happening, but you don't know what it is?" Carmen asks as she eats her food. All the kids were eating, while some teachers supervised and others ate. The firehouse trip was so far a success, and most of the kids were behaving. Carmen and I sat together, next to our class.

"Yeah.." All day, I've had this bad feeling something was going on at home. However, I couldn't call Bella to make sure everything was okay. I sighed and took a bite of my sandwich Bella made for me this morning. It was delicious, mainly because she's an amazing chef.

"I'm pretty sure everything's fine now.." She sighs. "Oh, we have a meeting after school that'll last until after five o'clock. I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier. Maybe you could just text your wife?" She looked at the little preschoolers who were sitting on the picnic basket sharing their food and snacks. "I love this job so much.."

"I do too. The kids are well behaved, which makes it easier to go home and play with my son and daughter." I smiled, thinking about Evelyn and Luke, playing with both of them. For some reason, I was worried, almost too worried about Evelyn. My smile faded and I took a sip of my soda.

* * *

**|| Time: 5:32 PM ||**

* * *

"The preschool teachers should make sure that thank you letter is in by next Wednesday, and Kindergarten teachers, make sure that the letters and drawings are eligible and colorful. That's all today." As soon as we were dismissed, I bid my goodbyes and rushed home.

I don't know why I was so worried, but whatever was happening was affecting how I felt today. I had to run some errands before getting home, so I headed to the supermarket first.

"Alright.. We need formula, diapers, wipes, and baby powder.." I sighed and went to the baby aisle. I spent ten minutes trying to figure out what baby food he likes, because I wasn't sure if Luke wanted mango or banana. I sighed and just got both, and moved onto the other aisle. Maybe I should get some pasta and chicken to make for Bella and Evelyn tonight. I know how much Evelyn loves chicken and pasta. I also picked up some cookies, for Evelyn, and some cookie mix, along with chocolate chips. I picked up a small box of cupcakes too, just so Bella and Evelyn have something to snack on. The lines were forever, waiting to check out the food. Once I left, I noticed traffic was oddly heavy. I couldn't help but look around for my phone. I just remembered I left it at home, but I hope that Bella was alright.

* * *

**|| Time: 7:10 PM ||**

* * *

I finally came back home, after a really long day. I noticed the door was open.. Weird, because Bella's car is still here. I took the stuff inside and put them away, and I also noticed Evelyn didn't come out to greet me, neither did Bella. I heard Luke crying upstairs, and it was his sad cry. After putting the stuff away and putting the bags in a drawer, I walked upstairs to his room.

"Hey, Luke." I say to him, seeing him in his crib. He was really upset about something, because his sobbing was loud. I changed him, played with him, and rocked him. Maybe he needed Bella instead. I walked out the room and opened the door. I saw Bella crying in the bed, her bareback, cut and bruised, to the door. "Bella?"

She turned to me, and I could see cuts and bruises on her face.. "E-E-Edward.." She started crying really loudly. "Please tell me Evelyn's downstairs..."

Evelyn.. I ran to the end of the hallway and opened the door. Evelyn wasn't in bed. I checked the bathroom, the kitchen again, the backyard, even Bella's car. Not there. I ran back upstairs.

"Bella, she's not here. What's going on?"

"Lyra and Todd were here.." She started sobbing. I put Luke down and I pulled her into my arms. "Call the police.. Please.." I kissed her head and picked up the house phone to call the police.

* * *

**|| Time: 9:34 PM ||**

* * *

The police, Karen and Michael, Anna, Rosalie, mom, dad, everyone was here. Bella was still crying as the police asked me what happened. After they gathered their information, they called an Amber Alert for Evelyn Ravenna Dawning-Cullen.

"Why do you think Lyra and Todd didn't hurt Luke? I'm not saying they should've, but if the three of you were home, why didn't any of them attack Luke?" Officer Ronald Hernandez asked, taking out his notepad.

"A few weeks ago at the hospital while checking on Luke, I noticed all his plugs were detached and he had no heartbeat." Dad answers. "They probably thought he was dead and never went to check on him."

"Does the hospital have proof that they visited the hospital and went into his room?"

"Yes." Carlisle answers. "He signed in as a visitor, and he visited the room."

"No charges were pressed?"

"They told us that if we're going to press charges or sue, it'd have to be the hospital for letting him in. So, we didn't." Bella says quietly.

"And why didn't you call Edward after the event of the rape and kidnapping?"

"I just woke up minutes before he came home and Todd knocked me out before I could attempt to call anyone."

"So let me get this straight, and just to clarify.." Officer Laura Moore looks at her notepad. "Around 12 noon, Todd came here with Lyra. While Todd was.. raping you, Lyra escaped with Evelyn, and by three o'clock, they were gone. Edward comes home, sees Luke unharmed, figures out Evelyn's gone and that Bella's hurt."

Bella and I nod.

"Alright, we need to clear the house to search for evidence."

"Please find my baby." Bella started crying again. "She means to world to us.."

"We will do our best, Bella." Officer Moore looks at Karen and Michael. "We'll need to ask you two some questions about Evelyn."

Karen and Michael nodded.

* * *

**|| Time: 12:42 AM ||**

* * *

"I hate this.." Bella whispers. We were at the hospital and she needed to get a body exam for the court case we would build once this was all over. I kissed her head and she put her head on my shoulder. We were staying at my parents' until something at the house or any news shows up.

I couldn't respond. Why couldn't I just call to see if everything was okay? Why couldn't I just get a job when I knew everything was okay? I'm an awful person. Especially when I had this feeling something bad was happening and I couldn't just simply call to make sure it was okay? How could I even trust everything would be okay at home when Todd was out to get Evelyn? I couldn't even be sure of the future anymore when there's a chance that Evelyn is hurt. Or worse.

I won't accept the possibility she's dead. I won't accept anyone telling me she might not come back because deep down inside, I know she will be back, alive, and she will forever be with Bella and I, until death does us all part.

I want to know that Evelyn's safe, and I want her back here right now, but the reality tells us she might not even be alive right now. Even the officers have little hope.

"Edward? Can you make sure Luke's alright?" Bella asks, looking at me. I realize that now she has to take the body exam, so I nod and leave the room.

Luke was in mom's arms, and I assumed he was asleep. But as I got closer, I noticed his eyes were open and he was staring at mom. She looks up at me and gives me a weak smile. I sit next to her and I look at my son who's eyes move to me. I could see the emptiness in his eyes, and from that, I guess he noticed Evelyn's absence.

"I think he knows something's wrong," Esme says, sadness in her eyes as well.

"I think he does too. Him and Evelyn were so happy together.." I remembered the smile Evelyn and Luke shared when they played together. I put my finger in Luke's hand and he grabbed it, but didn't squeeze it. He frowned and I moved my finger out his hand.

* * *

**|| Time: 5:32 AM ||**

* * *

I laid in the bed, staring at the ceiling. Bella was cuddled into my arms, freezing, and Luke was on my chest, snoring. I glanced at Bella and Luke and back at the ceiling. How could I do this to them? They just seemed so upset. I was upset too, but now I feel like I should take the blame. If I just stayed home, none of this would have happened. I'm the one to blame. I should have stayed home and calmed my little one down, holding Bella at my side. I felt Luke move a little on my chest and he moved his head on my beating heart and he sighed before drifting back to sleep. I rubbed his back and turned to see Bella's eyes opened. She and I stared at each other for a while before I turned away. I couldn't look at her at all. Her eyes were empty and her face was blank. She had cuts and bruises, even a little bit of dried blood on her upper lip. I felt her get off the bed and walk to the bathroom. I heard Luke yawn and he moved his head. He whimpered and I sat up and pat his back lightly. He started to cry, and I couldn't calm him down.

Bella came back in and put her arms out. I gave him to her and she walked out the room. Ouch. I put my head on the pillow and turned, my back to the only exit, and I went to sleep.

* * *

**|| Date: September 30, 2011 || Time: 10:45 AM ||**

* * *

Not going to work today either because clearly I'm not in the mood for any crap, and they told me they'd make me leave if I attempted to show up. I stayed in bed most of the time I was awake. I couldn't even move, it hurt so much. I got up once and that was to use the bathroom, but no other times after that. I heard people downstairs, but I was way too upset to go and see them. I heard footsteps coming up the stairs. _Please don't come in here, please don't come in here.._

The door opened.

_Crap._

I see Jacob come in and Alice behind him. What do they want? I turned away and sighed. "What?" I groaned.

"Come on, Edward. You have barely moved out of this spot." I hate her, I hate her so much.

"There's no point in leaving." I hissed when Alice tore the sheets off of me.

"Come on, Edward. Time to freshen up. Who knows? Maybe there will be good news today." Jacob pulled me out the bed.

I think the only good we'll get that I'm satisfied with is that I successfully got these two to leave me the fuck alone.

"Oh, we're going to the diner as a family, so be ready in half an hour." Alice smiles.

"I'm not leaving."

"Oh, yes you are." Jacob says. "If Bella's coming, you better come with."

"Not when there's a chance my daughter is... _dead._" I could barely get out the last word because I refused to believe it.

Alice sighs and then sits down next to me. "Edward, I know it's tough to deal with it. But you have to be positive. They've questioned so many people and they're getting so much closer to finding her." I'm not sure if I should believe her or not, but either way..

"I'm. _Not._ Leaving." I growled at them this time.

Just as Alice and Jacob were about to protest, I yelled at them to get out. This time they do. I throw the covers over me again and I started to cry. I missed my little girl so much, it was painful.

* * *

**|| Time: 12:32 PM ||**

* * *

The door opened, and a light turned on. I groaned and looked and saw Bella holding Luke. Both of them were wearing jackets. Have they left yet?

"Aren't you coming with us?" Bella asked, her face falling a little.

"You're actually _going_?" I raised my eyebrow at her. She made a face.

"I was only going to go if you were going.. They told me you were going..." She looked down and sighed. "Alright.. I'll take that as a no."

"I don't understand how you can leave knowing there's a chance our daughter could be dead." I say, glaring at her.

"You-You don't think that I think that too? Are you fucking kidding me? I was fucking raped, Edward! My daughter was taken right out of my life by the boy who I used to call my boyfriend. She was taken by the person I used to call my best friend. She was taken right from my _arms. _Do you know how fucking hard it is to even be alive knowing she might have been killed? Do you fucking understand how hard it has been for both Luke and I?"

"Don't act like that. I do love you and Luke very much, but it's been harder on me than it has been for you and Luke combined."

"I doubt it, Edward. I mean, you can try to be happy for once, even for an hour." She looks at Luke and back at me. "At least for Luke, because right now, I can give less than half a fuck about how you're feeling."

"SO THEN WHY THE HELL DO YOU WANT ME TO GO? I'M NOT LEAVING AND THAT'S FUCKING FINAL. NOW JUST LEAVE IF YOU'RE GOING TO KEEP THIS UP! IF YOU WANT ME TO BE HAPPY, JUST LEAVE!" I could have pushed her out the room, but that would be going to far. Once I realized what I said, I looked at her again, and she was crying.

"F-fine." She turned around and I saw Luke look at me and he reached his arm out. I waved to him, not smiling or frowning, just a straight face. He frowned and waved back and then he disappeared. I slammed the door shut and fell to the floor and began to cry. I couldn't believe I just yelled at Bella, and I didn't even mean a word I said, I was just angry.

* * *

About an hour later, they're still not home, so I leave. I went to Port Angeles to eat alone. I had a cheeseburger and fries. I ate slowly, just in sadness and in pain. Once I finish, I pay and leave. I walked slowly to the car when my phone vibrated.

"Hello?" I say, blankly. I got into the car and looked around it.

"Where are you?" I hung up immediately. Don't worry about me, Bella. I'm fucking fine. I continued driving, ignoring my vibrating phone.

I really didn't want to be mean to Bella, but lately, I've been mad at everyone, and not just her. I think it's because I'm so angry with everything that has happened. I wanted to kill myself at some times, mainly because I can perfectly blame everything that has happened on me.

I should have listened to Bella and stayed home, and I should have checked my phone and called more often. I should have made sure Evelyn was safe and happy before leaving. I should have come straight home instead of keeping Bella waiting. I couldn't believe how selfish I'm being.

I come back to the house and see the police car in the driveway. I get out the car and walk inside the house. Officer Moore is sitting there, looking at everyone with sad eyes. Everyone turns to me, and they sigh. I sighed too. I didn't even want to be here right now. I walked to the kitchen and got myself a cup of water. I heard footsteps behind me, and I turned to see Michael.

"Hey." he says quietly. I turned back around and sigh. "Listen, they have an update on the search. I think you should hear the news."

I nodded and went to the living room. I stood by the wall and listened.

"Right now, we think that Todd and Lyra are no longer in Washington State. However, we've gotten anonymous calls from a number that says they might have an idea where Evelyn is hidden. We've interviewed the mother and the father of Todd and family of Lyra, and we're even going to go to the Dominican Republic to ask Todd's father, the murderer of the Dawning family if he knows anything." Officer Moore says, then she sighs. "I need to tell everyone something very serious."

"Go ahead." I think it was Carlisle who said that..

"It's nearly impossible to be sure that Evelyn wasn't starved or already.. killed. I think it's best if, for now, you get used to the fact that she might be.. already dead. It's very hard to think about, but you never know. A four year old normally doesn't survive too long without food, and since this is Todd's first kidnapping, and Lyra's first crime, we're not sure what to expect. I'm terribly sorry, but if we cannot find her by the end of October, she's going to be considered dead whether we find the body or not."

* * *

**I'm changing the order so that the chapters are shorter, the POVs don't switch each time, and so this story can be longer. :)**

**Sorry for the wait. The next one is not too far away!**

**Please vote & comment/Review and follow!**  
**~Gabby**


	6. Chapter 6

**|| My Love || Chapter 6 || POV: Edward ||**

**|| Time: 11:34 PM ||**

**Language Warning.**

* * *

I was falling sleeping on the couch down in the living room. Bella kicked me out, and I deserved to be kicked out too. It was cold down here at night, especially when it was late September and the nights came faster. It was windy tonight too.

I was thinking about what was said earlier. Could I convince myself that Evelyn was dead? Could I even convince myself that my daughter is dead? I can't. I couldn't even come to the realization that Luke was dead at one point. I want her here, I want her alive, and I want this over. I want justice and I want Todd and Lyra in jail for good. I want my kids to live in a safe and happy environment, with no worries about getting hurt of kidnapped. I want Evelyn to feel safe with us, and for her to know she'll never be taken away again.

I heard footsteps while I was about to sleep and I didn't bother to look. I heard them coming closer to me and I felt a hand on my shoulder. I groaned, not wanting to deal with her right now.

"What, Bella?" I say after the second time I was touched.

She walked over and sat in front of me. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. You know, just freezing half to death." I rolled my eyes and looked away from her. "What do you want?"

"I wanna try to find her." She whispered.

"No. You and I are staying here. There's no way we're leaving—especially tonight." I turned around and moved, making my back face her.

"Why not? I mean, she could be out there and alive."

Is she crazy? I turned around to face her. "And what if she's not? What if by going out there, both of us die? What about Luke? And what if Evelyn was alive and we died trying to save her? She would be a wreck and she would never be the same again. And if you're going to leave, and if something happened to you," I looked into her eyes, sadness written on her face. "I don't know what I would do with myself. So you better go back upstairs and sleep." She stared at me for a while and she walked to the door, grabbed her coat, slipped on her boots and left. I heard the car starting. Is she fucking stupid? I rolled my eyes and went to sleep.

* * *

**|| Time: 8:48 AM ||**

* * *

I woke up to someone shaking my arm. When I looked, it was Alice holding Luke. Luke was crying, his face was red. I groaned and sat up, taking him into my arms. Alice walked away without a word and I looked at Luke. I was so tired..

"Hey.. buddy." I say to him, rocking him. "Miss your mother?" I yawned. He grabbed my shirt, and I realized he was slipping out of my arms. "Oops." I adjusted him in my arms and he sighed and rested his head on my shoulder. I kissed his head and rocked him. "Let's just go back to sleep." I whispered to him. He whimpered and started to cry again. "God dammit, Luke." I groaned and looked at the time. Almost 9 o'clock. Where the hell was Bella? I got up and went to the kitchen, filling a bottle with formula and while I shook the bottle, I looked at him and he back looks at me. I could feel the sadness just by looking into his eyes. I kissed his head and he sighs. "Hey, it'll get better soon. Just you wait – there's hope." I pat his head and fed him the bottle. He put his hands on it and I went back to the living room and sat on the couch.

* * *

**|| Time: 5:32 PM ||**

* * *

I was still on the couch, recovering from an awful headache, and I heard the car pull up. I looked as the door opened and Bella came inside. She sat on the sofa across the living room area and she stared at her feet.

"Did you find anything?" I ask, knowing she didn't. Luke was still in my arms, but he was sleeping.

"I did." She takes something out her bag. "I found Lyra's mother – she's in the hospital, dying or something. She told me that when Lyra was younger, they had brought a vacation house in California, and every summer they visited it. When her father died, they stopped visiting. Lyra loved the house, and when she ran away, that's where she went." She passed me the picture and I took a look at it.

The house wasn't even a summer-like house. It was a log cabin, and around it was a lake, and boats were close to the edge of it. It was small, two windows from the front view, and there was a chimney with smoke coming out.

"So what are you saying?" I looked up at her.

"That might have been the place they took Evelyn! Lyra's mother said that place looks like every ordinary place, but without having much care, it's a dump. Don't you think Todd and Lyra would want us to suffer by making Evelyn suffer herself?" She took something else out her bag. "Her mother also said that Lyra was messy all the time. She was also a druggie in middle school, but quit before I met her."

"Wow, Bella.." I blinked a few times in disbelief. She might have guessed it! We might still have time to get her. "But we can't. It's way too risky."

Her face dropped and her eyes widened. "Why not? Don't you want to find Evelyn?"

"Bella, that's not the reason why I don't want to go out. If we get hurt, then what? What if it's a trap? I don't want anyone to get hurt – especially you. Think about Luke, what if he lost his parents?" I felt Luke move in my arms and I looked down at him. He was awake, but he wasn't even looking at anything in particular.

"Edward.." Her voice was shaky and she stood up, her face red. After a long silence, she says, "I want my baby back..."

When I realized she was crying, I put Luke down and got up, slowly approaching her. When she put her face in her hands and let out a loud sob, I pulled her into my arms and hugged her tight. She put her head on my shoulder and continued to cry, her tears falling onto my shirt. I put my head on her shoulder and sighed.

"I am so sorry, Bella.." I cried, and cried, and cried for her. Both of us stood there, sobbing. "I should have stayed home that morning.. I should have stayed.."

"It's not your fault, Edward.." she whispers. "It's not your fault."

* * *

**|| Time: 10:43 PM ||**

* * *

"I don't want to get used to this, Edward." We were "finally" home, and we just finished putting Luke to sleep. This time, he slept in the crib in our room. Bella was in my arms on the bed, and my arms were wrapped around her. She had her head on my chest, and both of us were mostly quiet, only hearing Luke's snoring, which was pretty quiet.

"I don't want to either," I confessed. "Evelyn's our little girl.. I'll never be able to cope if she was really... dead.." I looked down at Bella who was sniffling. "What did they do to you?" The thought left my head and out past my lips.

"I.. Todd came into the room and threw my clothes off.. Then he looked at Lyra and she gave him a death glare.. He didn't.. hurt me like how I thought he would.. And I swear, in the middle of it all, he said 'I'm sorry' as if he didn't want to do it.." She sighs. "Maybe I'm just delusional and I heard something different."

"It's alright, Bella." I say to her, leaving a kiss on the top of her head. I heard Luke whimper and both of us looked. Bella got up first and walked to the crib, picking him up.

"He's shaking.." she whispers. "Maybe he had a bad nightmare, you know?" She sat back on the bed and I sit up.

"Hey, Luke. We're here." I say, putting my finger around his hand. He grabbed it, tight, and both of us smiled.

"Don't you cry, baby." She kisses his head and both of us watched him. He looked really upset. "You miss Evelyn too, right?" He stopped crying, his chin and lip quivering. He missed his big sister.

"We do too, buddy." I say to him quietly. He let out another cry and Bella pulled him to her chest, and I pulled them close to me.

* * *

**|| Date: October 3, 2011 || Time: 6:34 AM ||**

* * *

"Alice and Rose will be here soon," I tell Bella, putting on my work uniform. Apparently, we had new uniforms at work and I had mine dropped off. My outfit was a black shirt, black pants (my choice), and on the shirt was my name in the corner, Edward Cullen, and the logo for the job, "Seattle Day School" and the address and number. I liked it, but it's not exactly comfortable. I turned to Bella who was feeding Luke. I walked over and kissed her head and cheek, and she giggled.

"Okay, don't worry. Luke and I will be safe, and I will call you if I need anything." I kissed Luke's head.

"Bye buddy. I'll be home soon."

* * *

**|| Time: 7:00 AM ||**

* * *

"Edward," Carmen greeted me. "It's so nice to see you again. How is everything?" She gave me a friendly hug. I could see she was in her uniform too, except, of course, she had her shirt saying "Carmen" by the name.

"Everything's alright.. Still no clues or anything, which makes us upset as you can imagine." I tell her, full honesty. I liked Carmen, and I wasn't about to lie to a good friend.

"I didn't think you would come in today. The boss told me that you were coming in at least new week. The kids missed you a lot, as you can imagine, especially the boys. A lot of them were worried you weren't going to come back, but I reassured them time to time again."

"I'm sorry I left for so long." I heard kids coming down the hallway to the classroom.

"It's okay, Edward. You needed time." And with that, she walked to the door and opened it.

"EDWARD!" All the kids screamed as they ran to me, swarming around me with hugs. I put my arms around the smaller group of children around me.

"Hey guys!" I greeted them.

"Edward, I missed you!" Macy says, then a bunch of other kids say the same thing. I smiled widely.

"I missed you guys too." I say to them. I truly did.

* * *

**|| Time: 11:47 AM ||**

* * *

Carmen was fixing up the lunch trays while I helped the kids clean up after they came back from outside.

"Use soap, guys." I remind them, seeing some trying not to.

I swear, working here is a lot harder than it was a month ago. I wonder how Carmen survived... I saw Angelina attempt to reach the sink, but realized even with the step-stool, she's still too short. I picked her up and held her over the sink, watching her wash her hands.

As the kids were eating, I stood in the corner, watching them. Just seeing them all eat, especially Angelina, reminded me of Evelyn. It pained me to see such happy kids when mine probably wasn't as happy.

Oh, Evelyn.. I am so sorry I failed you. I miss you terribly.

* * *

**|| Time: 4:30 PM ||**

* * *

I drove home, but I was barely paying attention to the road. I couldn't stop thinking about my daughter, who wasn't at home. But I had my son, and my wife at home eagerly waiting for me. As I pulled into the street, I felt my excitement rise. I couldn't wait to see Luke and Bella again.

As soon as I pulled into the driveway, I got out and walked into the house. I saw Luke on Bella's lap, and saw Alice and Rose sitting on the couch while watching a movie. Luke wasn't watching though. Everyone looked at me, and I heard Luke squeal and he put his arms toward me. I laughed and walked to him and picked him up, putting him into my arms. I kissed his head and pat his back, then I bent down and kissed Bella's cheek.

"Hey babe." she mumbles and then she looks at me and smiles. I kissed her again and she giggles. I looked at Alice and Rosalie who were getting up.

"Thanks guys. I really appreciate it." I tell them, then I felt Luke's head moving on my shoulder, and I pat his back.

"No problem, Edward," Alice smiles. "Oh, Jake said to call him later, okay?"

"Sure." I don't know if I wanna call him or not, but either way, I knew it was going to involve me doing something I didn't want to do.

After bidding goodbye, I went to the kitchen to get myself a drink, and Bella followed. I filled a glass with water and sat at the table. Bella sat across from me, and Luke sat on my lap, with my arm holding him up.

"How was work?" Bella asks, breaking the silence – besides Luke's gurgling.

I shook my head. "It was hard.." I looked at Luke and he looked up at me and smiles. I smiled back at him. "How was Luke?"

"He slept most of the day actually. When he woke up, he was really quiet. I fed him, changed him, and let him play by himself for a while before I got too uncomfortable leaving him alone." Then she smiles. "He's a really good boy. Right, Luke?"

He looks at Bella and smiles, and she smiles too. "He's perfect." I say, kissing his head.

* * *

**|| Time: 8:43 PM ||**

* * *

"You should call Jacob." Bella says to me. Both of us were watching TV, specifically a comedy show. I glanced at Luke who was falling asleep in his swing. I looked at Bella and sighed.

"Yeah, I should but.." I shook my head and sighed.

"Edward, stop." Bella took my hand and squeezed it. "Please call your friend. Don't let anything that has happened stop you."

She was right and wrong. I should call him, but everything that has happened will keep me from calling him. I looked at Bella, who was still looking at me. I took out my cellphone and called Jacob, knowing I'd regret this the minute he picked up.

"Hello?" Jacob's voice was... off. Something was different.

"Hey, Jacob." I say quietly. There was a silence, then he answers.

"Oh, Edward! Hey, man. How's everything?" He sounded happier now that he figured out it was me, but something was still off.

"Fine, I guess.. I mean.. y'know.. Considering.." I sighed and I felt Bella kiss my cheek before skipping away, taking Luke with her.

"Yeah, I understand. Look, I'm sorry about everything.. I'm still upset myself about the whole situation. But, I won some game tickets. Emmett and I are coming, wanna join us? Please say yes. I miss my old pal." I could hear the sadness in his voice.

"Um, yeah, sure, I guess. Yeah, I'll come. When is it?"

"This Saturday. I'll come pick you up, yeah? The girls wanna take Bella to a spa, so if you want Luke to join us, bring him. Kids come in free."

"I'll think about bringing him. Thanks, Jake." We hung up and I sighed and put my phone down. I went upstairs to our room and saw Luke and Bella smiling and laughing. "Do I get to know what's going on?"

Bella turns to me and her smile widens. "I was tickling Luke, and his laugh is just so cute."

* * *

**|| Date: October 8, 2011 || Time: 2:34 PM ||**

* * *

"Ready to see some baseball, Luke?" I asked, putting him in a jacket. He smiles and coos, then claps. "Alright!" I kiss his head and picked him up.

Bella finished putting her shoes on and she turned to us and smiled. "Aww, my boys going to their first baseball game together." She giggled and walked over to Luke and kissed his cheeks and she took his hand. "You gonna have a good time with daddy?" He gurgles and smiles, and I smiled too.

"Of course he is." I tickled his side and he laughs, and I laughed too, then Bella joins in. After our laughing died down, there was a honk outside. Two actually. Our rides were here.

* * *

**|| Time: 4:48 PM ||**

* * *

"Luke, here," I put a baseball cap on his head and he pat his head. "Should keep you warm, and in spirit of the team." I smiled. He smiles back and claps.

"Ah, I love me a good baseball game." Emmett says, smirking.

"Yep, these are the best." Jake says, then he smiles. "How's everything with you and Blondie?"

"I guess it's okay. Rose hasn't been herself lately. She's not eating or sleeping as much... It's crazy. She's trying to go back to her normal self, but this hit her hard, y'know?" He sighs. "How are you guys?" He directed the question at me.

"We're trying to be happy. For Luke's sake, y'know? He misses his sister a lot, and he knows she's gone.." I sighed. "It's hard to think that the last time I was going to see her was that day."

"Don't think like that, man," Emmett starts. "You have to be positive about the situation. You can't listen to those cops, they haven't been searching as hard as they should. The end of October is in weeks from now, something might come up before then. And hopefully it's what they need to find the location of her."

"Yeah, man. Evelyn's a tough girl, too. Plus, remembering Lyra and Todd, I doubt they'd kill Evelyn. They only want you guys to suffer because you made Todd suffer. This is Lyra's revenge game. We can't play it, though. The consequences for her game might be more harsh than it would be for Todd's revenge."

They were right. Just before I was gonna respond, the game started.

* * *

**|| Time: 7:34 PM ||**

* * *

Luke and I were still smiling when we got home. But my smile faded when I saw a cop car. Immediately, I rushed inside the house, and I knew Jake and Emmett were following me. Bella was sitting on the couch, sobbing. Rose and Alice were holding her. I looked at the officer and my eyes went wide.


	7. Chapter 7

**|| My Love || Chapter 7 || Bella's POV ||**

**|| Date: September 21, 2011 || Time: 10:45 AM ||**

I sat on the bed next to little Evelyn, holding her in my arms. She was still crying, but not as hard. After she seemed to have calmed down, I place a kiss on her head and cheeks.

"Wanna do something later? I can play with you, or we can just watch TV?" I hold her face in my hands, and she nods. I dropped my hands and I pull her onto my lap and I rub my nose against hers. She does the same and then she yawns, her mouth forming a small 'o'.

"Hey, why don't you go lay down for a bit and come back when you're hungry?" I suggest, putting my hands on her cheeks again. She nods and gets off my lap, then puts her thumb in her mouth and looks at me serious and she leans up and kisses me before hugging me. I hugged her back.

"I love you so much." I whispered to her. She sniffles and pulls away and walks into her room. I laid on my bed and looked at the ceiling.

**|| Time: 12:32 PM ||**

The front door opened, and I jumped up. Edward's coming home late today. I heard multiple footsteps up the stairs and my room door flew open. I screamed when I saw Todd and Lyra. He walks over to me and grabs me tight. I tried to kick him off of me and I screamed again when he punched me.

"Finish her, I'm going to find the kid." Lyra orders him, then she walks out. I tried to get out of his grasp, screaming and crying.

I could hear Evelyn's room door open and I heard her scream. I screamed too. "EVELYN!" I pushed Todd off of me and ran to the door, but he grabbed me. I opened it and saw Lyra holding Evelyn, a knife to her neck. Both of us looked at each other.

"Please don't hurt her, Lyra. Just don't..." I cried.

"Then let us take her." Lyra sneers, then she holds her tighter. Evelyn looks at me, her eyes wide.

"Don't take her please.. Just hurt me, just do what you want to me, please!" I felt Todd grab me and he held me, his arm around my neck.

"Take the girl away." Todd ordered. I put my hand out to Evelyn, and she does the same, and just like that, we were separated.

"EVELYN!" I screamed.

"MOMMY!" I heard Evelyn scream. My heart broke into multiple pieces.

I felt myself being thrown on my bed. Everything was fuzzy and blurry. I cried in pain as Todd removed my clothes. "PLEASE STOP!" I kicked and hit him. He growled and punched me several times. I could barely feel anything, except for the extreme disgust as he pulled me toward him. I continued sobbing, and I felt blood coming out of my nose and everywhere else. The worst part about all of this is that Edward wasn't going to come home for a long time.

As soon as he stopped, and I knew he was done with me, he looks at me. I didn't look back at him, but I knew he was looking at me. "I'm so sorry." It sounded like he mumbled that, before he zips his pants back up. He stares at me for a while, and his fingers wiped my upper lip, then he leaned down and kissed my head. I flinched, and he stood back up and made a face. Then, it all went black as soon as his fist met my face one last time.

I woke up, completely disgusted. I felt disgusting, weak, and worst of all, I felt sick. I couldn't even move to see the time. I maned when I moved my arm. My leg was wet, and I was naked. I started crying, and I cried. I realized Evelyn wasn't coming in here to make sure I was okay, and then my stomach ached.

"Evelyn!" I moaned and I coughed again. I heard the front door open and with much pain, I covered as much of me as I could.

I was scared. What if Todd came back? What if it was another person who saw the door open and they wanted to see what was left? I heard the door close, but that could mean anything. I tensed up and gripped the sheets. I sat up and covered my chest, turning to the wall. I didn't care my bare back was exposed to the door. I let out a shaky breath when I heard footsteps and Luke's bedroom door open. Only now did I realize they didn't take him.

Oh, Luke...

I started to cry again. Luke was safe. My baby was still here. I heard the bedroom door open, and Luke's crying.

"Bella?" Oh, Edward.. Edward...

I turned around, his face full of concern. "E-E-Edward..Please tell me... Evelyn's downstairs.." I cried. His eyes widened and he rushed out the room again.

He came back upstairs a few minutes later and he ran back into the room. "Bella, she's not here. What's going on?"

Oh my God... Evelyn... "Todd and Lyra were here.." I cried, and then I coughed. He put Luke down on the bed and pulled me into his arms. "Call the police... Please.."

I still didn't know the time. In fact, all I remembered was Evelyn's social workers, Edward's family, and the police arriving at the house. I wore newer clothes, but it hurt to feel the fabric pressed against me. Especially in between my legs. When the police officers questioned me, I broke down, crying, and told them everything that happened. Then, they sent out an Amber Alert for _Evelyn Ravenna Dawning-Cullen_. I stared at the ground, answering very few questions after that.

I had to go to the hospital for a full-body exam. I hated this. I wanted my baby in my arms, I wanted Evelyn to know that she was safe with us. But thanks to Todd and Lyra, I'm not sure if she'll be able to trust me again. But even in the beginning, it took her a while to trust us. She wasn't used to being loved and kept for so long. So if this breaks her trust with us... I would be a wreck.

I should have tried harder to take care of Evelyn. She should have stayed with me. I should have tried to stop Lyra, and I should have tried harder to stop Todd. I was already a mess at the time, but seeing Evelyn get taken away from me right in front of my eyes was not something I – or anyone – should ever see, and to hear her scream my name.. Worst part was I couldn't stop them otherwise they would have killed her.

Who wants to make a decision like that? Let them take her or let them kill her? I'm about 99% positive that no one would choose, they'd just decide without thinking like me. I would have rather them kill or hurt me than my precious baby girl.

I had to be grateful and thankful that Luke was unharmed. I love both my children equally, and it would hurt if both of them were harmed by the same people.. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if they took both of them.

But I can't even live with myself knowing Evelyn's not in my arms.

Please, someone, just let her live... Let her come back to my arms alive..

"Edward? Can you go make sure Luke's alright, please?" I ask quietly. He nods and leaves the room.

The body exam was brief, but multiple bruises and cuts were found all over. After finishing this, they took a blood test and that was that.

We went to Carlisle and Esme's house, and the whole family was going to stay here. I was back in Edward's room and Luke was resting on his chest. I was drifting off to sleep when I needed to go to the bathroom. I opened my eyes and stared at Edward for a while before I got out of the bed and went to the bathroom. I couldn't look at him. There was too much hurt and guilt in his eyes. When I came back, Luke was crying and Edward was trying to calm him down. I took Luke and left he room to go to the kitchen and feed him.

**|| September 30, 2011 || Time: 10:45 AM ||**

"Hey, Bella," Alice sat next to me. I was feeding Luke when she did. I looked up at her, and realized Jacob was here too.

"What do you guys want?" I ask quietly, looking back down at Luke. His hands were balled in little, tiny fists. I put my finger on one of his hands and tickled it lightly, and he took his hands out of fists and grabbed my finger.

"We're going out to the diner later. Would you like to join us?" Alice asked me as if I was going to say yes right away.

"Why should I?"

"If we could get Edward to come, you should come too." So did they convince Edward to come?

"He's coming?" I hadn't talked to Edward in a while, mainly because we had nothing to say to each other.

"We're gonna make him come. Just get ready, we're leaving soon." Jacob says with a sad smile.

"Okay, fine.." I turned my attention back to Luke and I took the bottle out of his mouth and pat his back lightly. "I love you, Luke." I said quietly. He looks up at me and smiles widely. I kiss his cheek and after patting his back for a few minutes, I got him dressed, then got dressed myself.

**|| Time: 12:32 PM ||**

"Into the jacket you go, mister." I say, slipping Luke's jacket on. He grinned and laughed and I zipped it up and picked him up. "Come on, boo." I carried him upstairs and I opened Edward's room door to find him still in bed.

"Aren't you coming with us?" I asked, feeling hurt. I felt Luke playing with my necklace.

"You're actually going?" he inquired. His voice was harsh, or it was to me. He raised his eyebrow and I grimaced.

"I was only going to go if you were going.. They told me you were.." I looked down and sighed. Luke stopped playing with my necklace and started playing with my hair. "Alright, I'll take that as a no."

"I don't understand how you could leave knowing there's a chance our daughter could be dead." he fumed and then he glared at me.

I couldn't believe he was saying this to _me_. "You-You don't think that I think that too? Are you fucking kidding me? I was fucking raped, Edward! My daughter was taken right out of my life by the boy who I used to call my boyfriend. She was taken by the person I used to call my best friend. She was taken right from my _arms. _Do you know how fucking hard it is to even be alive knowing she might have been killed? Do you fucking understand how hard it has been for both Luke and I?" Very rarely did I swear, especially around Luke, but I was pissed.

"Don't act like that. I do love you and Luke very much, but it's been harder on me than it has been on you and Luke combined." Is he serious with this?

"I doubt it, Edward. I mean, you could try to be happy for once, even for an hour." I heard Luke whimper and I glanced at him then looked back at Edward. "At least for Luke, because right now, I can give less than half a fuck about how you feel."

""SO THEN WHY THE HELL DO YOU WANT ME TO GO? I'M NOT LEAVING AND THAT'S FUCKING FINAL. NOW JUST LEAVE IF YOU'RE GOING TO KEEP THIS UP! IF YOU WANT ME TO BE HAPPY, JUST LEAVE!" I swallowed and looked away and I started to cry.

"F-fine." I turned away to leave and I walked down the stairs, leaving Edward. Luke put his head on my shoulder and sniffled. I stopped and looked at him. "D-don't cry, b-baby.." I whispered, my voice cracking. He put his hand on my cheek where a tear had fallen and frowned. I kissed his tiny hand when he moved it to my lips. "Let's go,"

**|| Time: 1:23 PM ||**

I let Luke stick his french fry into his ketchup, then put it in his mouth. I had gotten a hamburger and onion rings and Jonah shared his fries with Luke. He apparently loved ketchup and fries. His fingertips were greasy when he took his fingers out his mouth. I took the napkin and wiped his fingers. He gurgled and reached out for another one, which I grabbed for him. He opened his mouth and I put it in his mouth, then he swallowed with no problem. I pat his head and kissed it, and he hums.

"Alright, is everyone done?" Alice asks, smiling like the bubbly Alice she was.

"Almost." I say, then I let Luke take the last french fry off the plate and dip it into the ketchup once more.

"Great. I hope everyone had a decent time," She giggles. Luke pat my hand and I look at him and smile. He squeals and smiles back, and I snuggled him to my chest.

"I know I did. 'Cause now, I'm full." Jacob says, yawning. We all laughed.

At home, I realized Edward wasn't home and called him. He hung up on me. I felt hurt that this is what it had come to.

Now I feel bad. I shouldn't have yelled at him.

"Hey, Luke," I hummed. "Why don't you try to get some rest now?" I started singing to him. He stared at me, his eyes only on me and his hands on my hand and I rubbed his little belly.

Officer Moore arrived just as I put Luke to sleep. Karen and Michael were here too. He told us something I really didn't wanna hear.

"Right now, we think that Todd and Lyra are no longer in Washington State. However, we've gotten anonymous calls from a number that says they might have an idea where Evelyn is hidden. We've interviewed the mother and step-father of Todd and family of Lyra, and we're even going to go to the Dominican Republic to ask Todd's father, the murderer of the Dawning family, if he knows anything." Officer Moore says, then she sighs. "I need to tell everyone something very serious."

"Go ahead," Carlisle says, and I hugged myself for bracing – for the worst.

""It's nearly impossible to be sure that Evelyn wasn't starved or already.. killed. I think it's best if, for now, you get used to the fact that she might be.. already dead. It's very hard to think about, but you never know. A four year old normally doesn't survive too long without food, and since this is Todd's first kidnapping, and Lyra's first crime, we're not sure what to expect. I'm terribly sorry, but if we cannot find her by the end of October, she's going to be considered dead whether we find the body or not."

Oh God..

Oh God..

_Oh God..._

I put my head in my hands and started crying. I felt Karen put her arms around me and she cried too. I didn't want to come to any "realization" or anything like that. I wanted Evelyn here with me and Edward.

**|| Time: 11:43 PM ||**

I kissed Luke's head multiple times and then I tucked him in and left the room. I slipped into my shoes and walked to Edward who was downstairs. I shook him and then I groaned when I realized he was awake. He turned to me and clearly he was pissed. I told him I wanted to find Evelyn, and he told me I shouldn't. I left anyway.

The nursing home Lyra's mother was in was open 24/7. I was in the visiting book, which is weird, written as family. I went into her room and saw she was holding.. something.

"Ahh, Bella, is it?" Her mother gave me a creepy smile. "Come in, darling. I've been waiting for you."

"Hi, Mrs. Addams." I greeted her as I took a seat. I could see she was holding something that looked like a book. "How are you?"

"Lyra told me to expect you.." she says quietly. "Here. It's a book of all our family vacations!"

I raised my eyebrow and took the book from her. Inside were pictures of a house, and of Lyra when she was a child with her family. The house looked like a summer house, or a vacation home.

"What is this place?" I ask her, specifically looking at the log cabin-like house.

"It's out vacation home. We'd always go there when we needed to get away. We used to live there for the summer and winter, but after Lyra got engaged and graduated, it's been different. But it looks like every ordinary place over there."

"Engaged?" I demanded.

"Yeah, to that kid.. What's his face..? Oh, right, Todd Biers? It has a nice touch to it. Lyra Biers.. It has that flow.."

"She's getting married to my ex-boyfriend?!" I cried. She nods. "I cannot believe this."

"Well I met Todd and he's a very nice guy.. Very generous and sweet to my Lyra.." she says, then she smiles widely.

"Todd abused and raped me and now he's kidnapped my daughter." She looks at me now and she raises her eyebrow.

"He wouldn't dare."

"Have you seen the news? Your daughter is with him too now. If they get caught, she gets arrested and charged with kidnapping and assisting a criminal. He's already committed a crime before – that's how we broke up in the first place."

"The news..?" She picked up a newspaper and turned to an article. "Oh.. This didn't click to me before! I only saw Dawning and assumed it was some Hispanic from another state or something that went missing.."

I really hope she wasn't lying. Dawning isn't even a Hispanic last name. "That's my daughter, and she's missing because of your daughter."

"Oh.. so when the police came.. I should have given them that picture... Well, use it. You might even have to go to the place yourself."

"Can I take this picture?" I ask, holding the picture of the house. She nods and I take it out the album and leave.

I drove. I was stupid. I am stupid. I was by the police office and I paused. What if she lied to me? I stared at the picture and made a face. Maybe it wasn't legit. She told me to go to this place. Wait...

She thought Dawning was a Hispanic name, and instead of giving the picture to the police officers, she gave it to me and told me to go to the house.

I drove home. When I arrived, Edward was looking at me. I showed him what I found, and I told him I wanted to go find her. But, he rejected it.

"Don't you want to find Evelyn?" I felt my heart drop.

I barely heard what he said, expect for the bit where he said, "Think about Luke, what if he lost his parents?"

He was right. I don't want Luke to suffer more than he already is. But all I can picture was Evelyn's face when she smiled while playing with Luke, hearing her laughing when Edward and I tickled her, seeing Evelyn's innocent face when she first met us..

Evelyn...

"Edward.." I started crying quietly. We were silent and then I stood up, ready to walk away, but tears falling down my face obstructed my vision. "I want my baby back.."

**This was a short chapter from Bella's POV. Maybe the next chapter we'll be caught up to speed in both POVs. :D**

**Have a great day/night/week/month/year/life!**

**~Gabriella**


End file.
